‘GhanaPost GPS system not hacked’

The acting Managing Director of the Ghana Post Company Ltd, Mr James Kwofie, has dismissed claims that the GhanaPost GPS system has been hacked.

He said the image of the so-called hack sent to an Accra-based radio station was a photo-shopped picture of someone who debugged his own phone and added the logo of the Ghana Post GPS.

“The person sent the image when we were being interviewed on the GhanaPost GPS, instead of verifying the image. The presenter just put it on air. We pointed out the anomaly to him but he went on and on about it.

“He asked questions about some of the parameters and made reference to how the alleged hacker claimed he got some phone numbers. It was pointed out to the presenter that we did not have those parameters in the system,” Mr Kwofie said.

Untruth

He observed that there was no information technology (IT) system in the world that was totally immune to hacking, but maintained that what was sent to the radio station was not true.

“When you talk about hacking, no IT system in the world is foolproof. Hacking is possible with any system, but so far, nobody has hacked into the GhanaPost GPS system . 

“We encourage our partners in the media to verify such claims before going public. We appreciate the concerns, but the criticisms should be constructive and help consolidate what has been done so far. The future is digital and the opportunities in this project for our young people are incredible,” he said.  

Data protection

Mr Kwofie said data provided during the download and registration were safe and would not be compromised.

He, therefore, urged the public to download the application (app), generate and register their addresses, saying that in the near future, the address would be verified before National Identification Authority (NIA) registration for the Ghana Card, banking transactions, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) transactions, among other activities.  

“You are well protected. This system has multiple firewalls, it has multiple access levels, the information stored in it is only on a need-to-know basis to authorised persons. It is also protected by the Data Protection Act,” he added.

System

Launched on October 18, 2017, the GhanaPost GPS is a global addressing system which divides Ghana into 5mx5m squares and assigns each one a unique address, known as the digital address.

A national address registry is being imbedded in the system to enable individuals to validate their homes and businesses for easy direction and identification.