The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday launched Pakistan’s first data protection service — Ijazat Aap Ki — putting citizens in charge of their personal data.

The service will enable citizens to give their consent before the verification of their identity cards and ensure that their sensitive data is protected and secure at all times.

Nadra has guaranteed that the confidentiality of citizens’ data will be protected by efficient measures.

Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik, while launching the service, said that consent management was a digital mechanism in line with his vision to protect citizens’ privacy and strengthen data security.

“Your data is your personal property, and just like your physical property, citizens are from now onwards empowered to control access and protect it against misuse or unwarranted use,” he stated.

Malik explained that service providers, including banks, will seek permission from citizens through a passcode before using their personal information.

He also emphasised the need for citizens to remain vigilant in protecting their personal information and urged them to take all necessary precautions to prevent identity theft and fraud.

Through this service, all verification transactions from March 2 will require a 6-digit passcode sent to the citizens’ registered mobile numbers to seek their consent to proceed with data sharing.

The pin number will be presented for authentication and will be deemed as the citizen’s consent to get their ID number verification from Nadra.

Nadra will collect the citizens’ mobile numbers at the time of registration for the ID card. The authority has also launched an SMS service, enabling citizens to enrol their mobile numbers.

Citizens can send a text message containing their 13-digit id card number on 8009 to register their mobile number with Nadra. In response, the authority will send a confirmation message to the sender when the enrollment is successful.