The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) says that it is partnering security agencies, the National security Adviser, Mohammed Babagana Monguno, and others to combating the menace of cybercrimes in the country.
The Commission noted that with the introduction of advanced technology into the Telecommunications business, the negative impact of cybercrimes, which had led to the loss of private information, monies and lives of the consumers would soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking at the 105th Edition of the Consumer Outreach Programme, COP, at Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki with the theme: “Mitigating Effects of Cybercrimes: The Role of Telecom Consumers” the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission stated that “without consumers becoming aware of cybercrime trends and making efforts to ensure safe use of connected devices, cybercriminals would continue to take advantage of their ignorance.”
“Cybercrime gives big concern to the commission. People lose their money, people their personal identity, people lose their privacies and on the process, they are either duped or even harmed or killed.
“The war against cybercrime may not have been won but we are doing everything humanly possible to stem the tide, it is an ongoing thing. As they are coming up, you are addressing them and new ones are coming up.
“The greatest achievement in this fight is empowering the consumers to understand that these problems exist, what they are, what they are supposed to do, how they can mitigate it when it occurs. We are putting in place technology that will also address the issue on the technical side.
The report by Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper on Monday quoted the official as saying that the Commission was looking at the issue from the technical aspect, regulatory aspect and the consumer perspective so that “collectively all of us will tackle this menace”.
In his remarks, the Deputy Director Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, said that the commission had initiated a process to establish an Internet Industry Code of Practice for internet providers in the country as a result of unprecedented increase in the usage of Internet-based solutions and services.
“The Internet Code is a regulatory intervention expected to secure the country’s cyber space against imminent threats from cyber attackers as well as addressing issues such as online child protection, privacy and data protection among others,” he said.
GIK/APA