Mobile services today are considered both economically and socially important – which is why the more than 5-billion consumers that currently connect via these services require regulatory protection.
A key challenge, however, has always been to provide the necessary levels of protection, while also ensuring users have control over their privacy and personal data.
The various threats faced by consumers, the necessity for effective consumer protection and the latest trends in this space were among the key topics discussed at the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) Africa Roundtable, held at the recent AfricaCom event.
Key panelists included Dario Betti, CEO at MEF, Rajiv Singla, CEO Global Messaging at Globe Teleservices, Ananstasia Ivanets, Business Development Manager, Lanck Telecom and Ilonka Badenhorst, Managing Executive, WASPA.
The Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association (WASPA) is an independent, self-regulatory body that is committed to serving the best interests of the consumer.
Badenhorst points out that when it comes to consumer protection in the mobile environment, the tendency is to think of fraud as the key challenge but, she notes, there are a multitude of other potential threats that they also face and that this is expected to escalate in 2023.
“What consumers are facing in respect of threats today is much broader than mere fraud. There are content risks, related to potential exposure to harmful, hateful or inappropriate and illegal content, not to mention disinformation risks,” she says. “In addition, there are conduct risks – instances where the consumer’s own conduct puts them at risk and leaves them vulnerable to threats or harassment – and contact risks, which are usually issues related to unwanted or unwarranted messages, as well as online fraud, scams and phishing attacks.”
Other risks consumers face, adds Badenhorst, include privacy risks and threats, such as where they expose personal data on social media, or are hacked by a criminal and threatened with having personal information made public.
“Lastly, there are of course legal risks that are associated with downloading illicit content, such as music, movies or software. What this demonstrates is that while there is a lot happening in the online space, fraud is really only one aspect of consumer protection.”
Singla suggests that to solve consumer protection challenges, collaboration is key, as it’s about working together as consumer and provider to solve these problems, with Betti agreeing, stating that it is ultimately an ecosystem issue, and the ecosystem must work together to solve it.
Ivanets insists that while everyone in the market has a responsibility to work together, she believes that mobile providers do need to make efforts to educate consumers about how they can best protect themselves from fraud.
However, Badenhorst asks: “What about the consumer? You cannot always blame somebody else. Consumers also have to do their part, and this begins with making a concerted effort to report suspicious messages to organisations like WASPA.”
“It really comes down to complacency amongst consumers, who tend to expect everyone else to protect them. Consumer education is lacking too, and WASPA is often engaged in explaining that any consumer who feels the rules have not been followed should definitely lodge a complaint. As an industry body, we need to know where and how the rules are being broken if we are to take action against the relevant party.”
The other delegates also suggested that in the mobile space, technology is evolving and changing rapidly, meaning consumers, providers, watchdogs and the regulators all have to work together. In particular, they add, the regulator must be open to external input from the industry, while it is vital that consumers also raise their voices so their needs can be better understood by the regulator.
Talking of the speed of technological change allows Badenhorst to segue neatly into a brief discussion of the latest trends and insights impacting this space. She indicates that heading into 2023 we are likely to see increased pressure on passwords, security measures and the sharing of sensitive information. “We are also likely to see more consumers prioritising protection while trying to balance convenience. As an industry we need to recognise the importance of regulation in this space, the value of transparent and scalable policies to protect consumers and the appropriate allocation of responsibility for the protection of consumers, while equipping them with the tools to arm themselves. It’s certainly an ever-evolving space,” Badenhorst says.