Last month, I received a text message from my mobile network operator informing me that my call records, location data, and browsing history had been shared with a third-party marketing firm. I never gave permission. When I called to complain, the customer service agent said, “It’s in the terms and conditions you agreed to.”

No one reads those terms. And no one expects their private communications to be sold to advertisers without explicit consent.

This practice affects every mobile phone user in Ghana. Our data is being treated as a commodity, not a right. The Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) explicitly requires companies to obtain consent before processing personal data for secondary purposes. These companies are violating the law, and the Data Protection Commission is doing nothing about it.

Our Demands:

The Data Protection Commission must issue cease-and-desist orders to all telecoms sharing data without consent
Mobile network operators must implement an opt-in system where users actively choose before data sharing begins
Annual audits of telecom data practices, with results published publicly
Fines for violations set at the maximum allowed under Act 843