Fear of information leakage when network operators let employees take photos with personal phones

From April 24, subscribers who do not update personal information, including portrait photos, will be locked one way, according to Decree 49 issued in mid-2017.

At Mobifone's transaction point at 4 Tran Hung Dao, Hong Bang district (Hai Phong), hundreds of people jostled to complete declaration procedures since morning.Employees use their mobile phones to take photos of personal documents and portraits.

Toknow if the information has been updated properly, the subscriberYou can text TTTB to 1414 and wait for a response.

Similarly, other networks such as Viettel and Vinaphone are also overloaded due to the large number of customers coming to update information. Therefore, both networks also allow employees to use personal phones to take photos of personal documents and portraits of subscribers.At the transaction points, from the teller to the store manager, even the office staff must be present to provide additional support.

Mr. Duong Van Khanh (Le Chan district, Hai Phong city) said that this way of doing things by network operators makes him...concerned that their personal information may be leaked to the outside. "Recently kThere have been many incidents involving identity cards and signatures being leaked, causing many people in Hai Phong to become bank debtors or have people come to their homes to collect debts," he explained.

Share with PV,Representatives of network operators also admitted that there wereconcerns from customers about personal information, including portrait photos, being exploited. However, a MobiFone representative said,Each store has photography equipment, but due to the large number of customers, they have resorted to using employees' personal phones to take pictures.

However, this person also affirmed that the information security process is very strict. After taking the photo, the staff will immediately update the system and before leaving, the manager there will check the phones to ensure that the customer's information is no longer on the device.

Similarly, Viettel representative also said,Ensuring the safety and confidentiality of subscriber information is the responsibility of telecommunications enterprises, as stipulated in the Law on Network Information Security and in Decree No. 174/2013 of the Government. Therefore, units always deploy many measures to ensure this in their operating regulations and subscriber information management processes.

“Subscriber information is registered, stored in a unified, centralized, reliable manner, used for the right purposes and ensuring the confidentiality of subscriber information according to the provisions of law. If customer information is disclosed, and the source of information is accurately verified by the network operator, we will be responsible before the law,” the representative of the telecommunications enterprise emphasized.

However,Network operators also recommend that customers be more careful in protecting personal information because in the context of increasingly developing social networks, subscriber images can be exposed from many different sources.

Unlike Viettel or Vinaphone, Mobifone does not allow subscribers to submit portraits or personal information online. Therefore, in the past two daysMobifone transaction points in Hanoi and Hai Phong city center are very crowded.

Explanation for not supporting online updates,MobiFone leaders said this request is aimed atEnsure the authenticity of information when the subscriber goes directly to the store owner to complete the procedure.