Confidentiality,a double-edged sword
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Now, 76-year-old grandmother Ena* of Mutare, a town on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, is living with HIV herself. But the burden of caring for her eight orphaned grandchildren remains entirely hers.
"Someone should have told me that my children were dying from AIDS," laments Mbuya, as grandmothers are known colloquially in this part of the world. "I could have taken precaution while I cared for them during their illness. I could have avoided exposing myself to the virus. Now, who will care for me when I eventually fall ill from AIDS? Who will care for my orphaned grandchildren when I die from this disease?"
That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...