ISLAMABAD: Pakistan rolled out its first data protection service on Thursday, according to which service providers would require citizens’ consent before obtaining their personal information, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) said.
According to a press release issued by the authority, the service— titled ‘Ijazat Ap Ki’ (your permission)--would enable citizens to give their consent before the verification of their National Identity Cards (NICs) to ensure that their data remains protected at all times.
“Thanks to this state-of-the-art service, the identity card will be verified after the consent of the concerned citizen and thus, the sensitive data of the citizen will remain completely protected at all times,” NADRA said.
Describing it as a “revolutionary step,” the authority said it would ensure that citizens are fully in control of their personal and family information and would protect against identity theft.
It added that through this service, all verification transactions by service providers from March 2 would require a six-digit passcode sent to the citizens’ registered mobile numbers to seek their consent to proceed with data sharing.
“Service providers, including banks, will seek permission from citizens through passcodes before using any citizen’s personal information,” Chairman NADRA Tariq Malik wrote on Twitter.
The passcode will be presented for authentication and will be considered as the citizen’s consent to get their ID number verification from NADRA, the authority said.
Nadra will collect the citizens’ mobile numbers at the time of registration for the ID card. The authority has also launched an SMS service, enabling citizens to enroll their mobile numbers.
Citizens can send a text message containing their 13-digit id card number on 8009 to register their mobile number with Nadra. The authority will notify the sender when the enrollment is successfully completed.
