Share

Vodacom subscriber details leaked

Johannesburg - Vodacom has allegedly been providing its subscribers' numbers to businesses and marketing companies, The Times reported on Thursday.

The cellular company reportedly confirmed on Wednesday that some of its 32.5 million local and 27 million international subscribers' personal details were supplied to other businesses.

The company launched an "urgent" internal investigation into the matter.

Vodacom spokesperson Richard Boorman told The Times the company used "header enrichment" for select third party services, but that this was not its default operation.

Header enrichment is when personal data is transferred to a website when a user browses through a cellphone.

"We use it for a select number of Vodacom and trusted third-party services such as charge-to-bill [a built-in payment mechanism]," he was quoted as saying.

"We reassure our customers that their information is not being routinely shared with all websites."

Boorman reportedly declined to say whether Vodacom was being paid to supply the information, whether permission was obtained from subscribers, and who the third-parties were.

"We became aware of the issue late yesterday [Wednesday]. I will be in a better position to comment once the investigation has been completed," he said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.98
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
24.08
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.59
+0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
+0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.6%
Platinum
904.45
+0.2%
Palladium
999.75
-0.6%
Gold
2,152.84
-0.4%
Silver
24.91
-0.5%
Brent-ruolie
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,923
-0.5%
All Share
72,134
-0.4%
Resource 10
53,280
-0.1%
Industrial 25
99,477
-1.0%
Financial 15
16,643
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders