Digital trust and security experts have raised concerns over the recent decision by the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative (MVOI) to disclose unredacted bank statements containing personal details of donors.
The move, spearheaded by Nigerian activist and social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has sparked privacy debates following its release on Instagram.
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Amaka Ibeji, Founder of PALS Hub and a digital trust expert, described the action as a breach of donor privacy, despite MVOI’s intent to promote financial transparency.
“Transparency must strike a balance with privacy,” Ibeji said
While MVOI’s transparency policy aims to foster trust and encourage donor support, Ibeji noted that publishing raw bank statements exposed sensitive data, including donor identities and transaction details.
This, she warned, could lead to privacy violations, such as misuse of personal information.
Highlighting the gravity of the breach, Ibeji revealed that the disclosed transactions totaled ₦242 million, encompassing 44,000 unique transactions.
At least 5,000 of these were PalmPay transactions, with some including users’ phone numbers tied to account numbers.
“These disclosures expose individuals to risks such as targeted marketing, phishing attacks, or other malicious activities,” Ibeji explained, adding that anonymized data or summarized financial reports would have been a safer alternative.
Chinedu Onwukike, a digital security expert, emphasized that MVOI’s actions violated Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), which mandates anonymization of sensitive information and explicit consent before disclosure.
Onwukike called for a swift investigation by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and urged NGOs to adopt privacy-first approaches similar to platforms like GoFundMe, where donors can contribute anonymously while ensuring transparency.
“The MVOI case underscores the need for regulatory compliance and respect for individual privacy,” Onwukike said. By prioritizing privacy alongside transparency, he added, organizations could maintain public trust while safeguarding donor information.
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