E-Terra Technologies, a Lagos-based eco-friendly firm has called for a halt to ICT hardware data breach and improper management of electronic waste.
It further restated that the only way to stop data breach from obsolete electronic waste is to shred the hard drives and other storage devices entirely.
Addressing a press conference cum on-site data destruction demonstration exercise yesterday in Abuja, the Managing Director/CEO E-Terra Technologies limited, Dr. Ifeanyi Ochonogor, disclosed that Nigeria is among countries with the highest cases of software piracy, identity and intellectual property theft.
According to Ochonogor, the 2014 annual report of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), showed that between the year 2013 and 2014 fraud on e-payment platforms of the Nigerian banking sector increased by 183 per cent.
Speaking further, he cited that report published in 2014 by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the United Kingdom estimated that the annual cost of cybercrime to Nigeria grossed about N127 billion.
He said: “Centre for Strategic and International Studies in UK, estimated that annual cost of cybercrime to Nigeria grossed about N127 billion.
“Also, Reuters findings in 2013 revealed that cyber criminals in Nigeria have moved beyond traditional ‘419’ to targeting business and majorly government institutions,” he added.
Proffering solutions to data protection shortfall within our institutions therefore, Ochonogor advocates the use of mobile data degaussing and destruction facility, which in his words can be deployed nationwide to degauss, shred all unwanted sensitive media storage devices and propriety items in order to prevent confidential information theft.
Meanwhile, while speaking to newsmen after the on-site data destruction demonstration exercise, the Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, National Information Development Agency (NITDA), Federal Ministry of Communications, Anthonia Odiokwu, described the initiative as timely and relevant and eco-friendly.
While lauding the company for choosing NITDA, she particularly harped on the fact that data protection is necessary, saying that what the company has done would open door for future collaborations.
