The Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), which is the regulator of the mobile financial services sector, has required that all customers of electronic payment service providers be identified. To comply with this requirement, MonCash has given all its customers until July 1 to identify themselves.
MonCash invited and encouraged its customers to identify themselves in order to continue using the system
A whole procedure has been put in place to help and enable customers to complete their registration before July 1st.
To do this, customers had the choice between one of the following options:
Log in to the MonCash app and follow the instructions to update their account; Go to Digicel stores with their phone and a valid ID; Connect with a MonCash employee – There will be teams to help users update their accounts across the country. To find out where these teams are, follow us on social media and wait for an SMS from us; the employees will be in MonCash uniform Send an email to [email protected] with the phone number and a valid ID attached; Many observers, recognizing the role of unregistered SIM cards in planning and coordinating the criminal activities of armed gangs that are sold unchecked on the Haitian market by mobile phone companies, wonder why Conatel, the telecom sector regulator, does not require a similar provision to force mobile phone companies to identify all their customers.
The two mobile phone operators in Haiti (Digicel and Natcom) are, in fact, hesitant to deactivate unregistered SIMs for several main reasons:
Loss of income : Unregistered SIMs can generate revenue for operators through calls, messages and data usage. Deactivating these SIMs would result in potential revenue loss.
Customer service : Sudden deactivation of unregistered SIMs may cause disruption to users who are unaware of this policy. This may result in an increase in customer service calls and complaints, requiring additional resources to manage.
Impact on competition : In some cases, operators may fear that deactivating unregistered SIMs will push users to competitors who have more lax policies on SIM registration.
Because of these factors, officials in Haiti should take a phased approach to ensure that all SIM cards used in Haiti are registered, for example by setting a deadline for this obligation to be fulfilled by all users. After this date, any unregistered SIM card is simply deactivated.
Let us recall that the policy ofregistration not mandatory Mobile phone SIM cards contribute to the growth of criminal armed gang activities in several ways:
-Anonymity of communications:** Unregistered SIMs allow criminals to make anonymous communications, making it more difficult for authorities to track their activities and bring them to justice.
– Facilitating illicit activities:** Criminals can use unregistered SIMs to coordinate illicit activities such as drug trafficking, theft, or even terrorism, without fear of being easily identified by authorities.
– Avoiding surveillance:** Criminals may regularly swap new, unregistered SIMs to avoid surveillance of communications by authorities, making intelligence gathering and crime prevention more difficult.
– Difficulty in investigations :** The lack of identifying data linked to unregistered SIMs makes it more difficult for authorities to trace the activities of criminals and gather solid evidence to prosecute them, which can hamper criminal investigations.
– Destabilization of public security :** The widespread use of unregistered SIMs by criminals can contribute to the destabilization of public security by enabling the coordination and execution of large-scale criminal acts, thereby affecting social peace and stability.
Let us also recall the advantages that the obligation to register SIM cards by telephone operators provides in the fight against armed criminal gangs:
– Traceability of communications :SIM registration allows authorities to track criminals’ communications, making it easier to monitor their activities and gather evidence to prosecute them. For example, in Rwanda, where SIM registration is mandatory, authorities have been able to use this data to dismantle criminal networks.
– Identification des suspects :When SIMs are registered, telephone operators have identifying information about users, making it easier to identify suspects involved in criminal activities. In Uganda, for example, SIM registration has enabled authorities to trace and arrest gang members involved in kidnapping and extortion.
– Prevention of criminal activities: By making it harder for criminals to communicate anonymously, SIM registration can deter or reduce the scope of certain types of criminal activity. For example, in Kenya, SIM registration has helped reduce cases of telephone fraud and extortion.
International cooperation : In the fight against transnational crime, SIM registration can facilitate cooperation between authorities in different countries. SIM registration data can be shared with other countries to track the activities of criminals operating abroad.
Improved public safety: By reducing the use of mobile phones in criminal activities, SIM registration helps to enhance public safety and protect citizens from crime. For example, in Ghana, where SIM registration is mandatory, authorities have seen a decrease in cases of mobile phone theft and extortion.
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