Two websites selling the personal information of millions of Nigerians, idfinder.com.ng and championtech.com.ng, remain operational despite being blacklisted by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). This comes two days after NIMC confirmed that these websites were unlicensed. Following media reports on Friday, NIMC blacklisted five “data harvesters” illegally collecting personal information.
Reports revealed that championtech.com.ng was still active as of Monday afternoon. The website enables users to verify National Identification Numbers (NIN) and purchase data and cable subscriptions. Meanwhile, idfinder.com.ng remains online but has restricted new user signups.
AnyVerify, another site involved in selling personal data for ₦190 (13 cents), has been taken down following the initial reports. Similarly, trustyonline and verify.ng, two other implicated websites, have also been deactivated. The persistence of unlicensed personal data verification websites raises significant concerns about data privacy and the management of NIMC’s database.
In March 2024, XpressVerify, another unauthorized website, was also found to be selling the personal information of millions of Nigerians before it was taken down. These recurring incidents highlight ongoing challenges in safeguarding personal data in Nigeria.
Despite these breaches, NIMC maintains that licensed partners and vendors are not authorized to scan or store NIN slips. Their role is strictly limited to verifying NINs through approved channels.