{"id":13939,"date":"2017-06-05T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=13939"},"modified":"2017-06-05T12:00:04","modified_gmt":"2017-06-05T11:00:04","slug":"unsolicited-messages-appeal-court-awards-damages-against-mtn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/unsolicited-messages-appeal-court-awards-damages-against-mtn\/","title":{"rendered":"Unsolicited messages: Appeal court awards damages against MTN"},"content":{"rendered":"

Granting unknown persons and organisations access to a subscriber\u2019s telephone line by MTN for the purpose of sending unsolicited messages to the line is a violation of the subscriber\u2019s right to privacy, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has ruled.<\/p>\n

A three-man bench of the Court of Appeal\u00a0 led by Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, unanimously held\u00a0 in its judgment that the said MTN\u2019s act was a violation of the subscriber\u2019s right to privacy guaranteed under section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.<\/p>\n

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who prepared the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal, held that innumerable text messages sent without the consent of the subscriber was a violation of the subscriber\u2019s fundamental right to privacy of his telephone conversations, correspondence, his person, telephone line and telephone message inbox.<\/p>\n

Justice Agim held, \u201cBy giving those unknown persons and organisations access to the respondent\u2019s MTN GSM phone number, to send text messages into it, the appellant violated the respondent\u2019s fundamental right to privacy guaranteed by section 37 of the Constitution which includes the right to the privacy of a person\u2019s telephone line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe said section 37 of the 1999 Constitution provides that, \u2018The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic conversations is hereby guaranteed and protected\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe innumerable text messages without his consent at all times is a violation of his fundamental right to the privacy of his telephone conversations, correspondence and his person and telephone line and telephone message inbox.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justice Agim also held that MTN\u2019s act violated Rule 14(1)(b), (2) and (3) of the General Consumer Code of Practice Rules and the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2007, both of which were regulations made on the strength of section 70 of the Communications Act.<\/p>\n

The two regulations,\u00a0 according to\u00a0 Justice Agim, \u2018require the appellant (MTN) to maintain a directory enquiry facility containing information of all its subscribers in Nigeria and allow access to same by third parties but subject to the prior notification of the subscriber\u2019.<\/p>\n

Justice Akomolafe-Wilson who headed the court\u2019s three man-panel and the another member, Justice Olabisi Ige, agreed with the lead judgment delivered by Justice Agim.<\/p>\n

The Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered the judgment on May 12, 2017, but its copy was made available to our correspondent on Sunday.<\/p>

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Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

The judgment was on an appeal with number, CA\/A\/689\/2013, and filed by MTN against the earlier verdict of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja.<\/p>\n

The appeal court\u2019s verdict affirmed substantially the judgment by Justice Ademola who, had held that MTN\u2019s defence filed in response to the alleged breach, was evasive.<\/p>\n

Justice Ademola had, in his judgment delivered on May 15, 2013, awarded N5m as exemplary and aggravated damages against MTN, but the Court of Appeal reduced it to N3m on the grounds that no explanation was given by the lower court for the award.<\/p>\n

But the appeal court affirmed part of Justice Ademola\u2019s decision to the effect that \u2018the award of 10 per cent interest on the judgment sum (N3m) from the date of the judgment until the judgment sum is fully and finally paid to the respondent is hereby affirmed\u2019.<\/p>\n

A lawyer and MTN subscriber, Mr Godfrey Eneye, had filed the suit marked FHC\/ABJ\/CS\/431\/2012 before Justice Ademola, contending that MTN had violated his rights by revealing or permitting his private line registered with the network provider to be accessed by other organisations and persons \u2018who sent unsolicited, irritating and annoying messages to the said line\u2019.<\/p>\n

He had stated in his suit before the Federal High Court that, \u201cThe respondent (MTN) offers and provides a bulk SMS message service to customers and permits the sending of bulk messages by individuals, organisations and other bodies through their network upon certain specified conditions agreed between the respondent and the respective subscribers to the said bulk SMS service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, MTN had claimed that it did not disclose the subscriber\u2019s phone details to third parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe appellant did not show or even suggest that it notified the respondent before giving access to his line to the senders of the text messages,\u201d Justice Agim ruled.<\/p>\n

PUNCH NEWSPAPER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Granting unknown persons and organisations access to a subscriber\u2019s telephone line by MTN for the purpose of sending unsolicited messages to the line is a violation of the subscriber\u2019s right to privacy, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has ruled. 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