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Exposed by the past: Indonesia’s phone number recycling may result in data leaks
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Risks: While it might be legal in Indonesia, recycling phone numbers poses some risks to phone users. (Unsplash/Jonas Leupe) (Unsplash/Jonas Leupe)
R
em>Recycling phone numbers is common practice in Indonesia but has resulted in unintended leaks and misuse of the previous users' private data.
Have you ever received a message or phone call from a stranger wanting to get in touch with someone with the exact same number as yours? While this might seem like a simple misunderstanding, it actually showcases the fragility of all the data that is attached to a particular phone number. With the advent of smartphones, as well as websites and apps requiring data to connect, this becomes an increasingly worrying issue.
Communications and Information Ministerial Regulation No.14/2018 states that a phone number can be reactivated as a new number 60 days after the expiration date - a short time frame to delete all or any of the data attached to a certain phone number.
Damages
Problems caused by recycled numbers include identity theft and email hacking.
Aulia Meidiska, who currently works as a writer, found out that her phone number had been recycled in October.
“I noticed that my number had been recycled and sold to other people after I was logged out from WhatsApp and my email was hacked. The provider simply told me that my number had been resold and they could not do anything about it,” Aulia said.
