Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice president of Ghana, recently unveiled a digital initiative that aims to revolutionize the nation’s transportation industry.
Passengers can conveniently purchase bus tickets and schedule trips from the comfort of their homes with the “Tap and Go” system.
However, some IT specialists have expressed concerns about the new technology’s security and safety. Yayra Koku, a notable member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), took to Facebook to express his apprehensions about the initiative.
Concerning data security and privacy, Mr. Koku claimed to have found that the IP address linked to Bawumia’s bus monitoring system was hosted in China.
According to him, unauthorized people could potentially jeopardize passenger safety by easily accessing and manipulating the system’s software. Edward Adjei, a tech lead and software engineer, concurred with Koku’s worries, claiming that he managed to get around security measures and obtain private user information and video recordings from the server of the monitoring program.
Mr. Adjei brought attention to a number of the system’s flaws, including an antiquated web server that was prone to crashing with specific payloads, thereby presenting a serious risk to the availability of services and data integrity.
They both emphasized how urgent action was required to fix these security holes and protect user data.
To guard passenger safety and avert future data breaches, they urged authorities to prioritize data privacy and put strong security measures in place.
Public concern over the government’s oversight and diligence in enforcing the “Tap and Go” policy has grown as a result of the disclosures made by these IT specialists.
