Safaricom attempts to monetise location data

Kenya’s mobile network operator Safaricom, which also operates global mobile money service M-Pesa, has issued a call for proposals for the monetisation of customer location data in January 2020. According to the call, Safaricom boasted a business growth driven by innovation. It therefore called for suppliers of location tracking and intelligence platforms to ‘build profiles of customers based on their locations and telephone usage’.

Safaricom has the largest market share of Kenyan mobile telephony. Its dominance has been the been the subject of discussion among regulators, with legislators mulling over splitting the company business streams. The call for proposals to monetise location data signals the evolution of the company into a platform. Kenyans have raised concerns about privacy and fairness in the selling of their data. The call has since been removed from Safaricom’s website.