Digital rights in sub-Saharan Africa: The practice of telecom companies

A study published by Internet without Borders (IWB) argues that telecom companies Orange Senegal (Sonatel) and Safaricom do not respect international and national standards on privacy and freedom of expression online.  According to the study, Sonatel does not publish on its website the terms and conditions of prepaid services and usage of personal data. Safaricom publishes little details on the type of information collected and security of data. This practice is found to be different from the one of the mother companies.  IWD recommends transparency, protection of human rights by states, and social responsibility from companies. In reaction to the study, Sonatel justified that users are given the terms and conditions for prepaid mobile offers on subscription at selected sale points, under strict legal obligations to control correct identification and registration of subscribers. The company also stated that it respects the rights of customers over their personal data, and reports to the Senegalese authority on the use of such data.