NDC’s Yayra Koku links Bawumia’s Tap-and-Go bus monitoring system to China

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yayra Koku , has raised very pertinent security concerns over the new Tap-and-Go Transport Service launched by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on February 19, 2024.

According to him, the Tap-and-Go bus monitoring system is being hosted in China, and threatens the privacy of commuters who make use of the system for transport.

The Tap and Go Transport Service is a digital platform that allows passengers to pay fares using a reloaded card, which they can tap, on a device installed on buses or rails when they join them.

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The service also comes with a system for monitoring the buses using CCTV cameras, which the vice president said was developed in Ghana.

However, Yayra Koku, who is also a system analyst, said in a post on X, on February 20, 2024, that the software for the CCTV monitoring was purchased from China and is hosted on Chinese servers.

Yayra argued that the use of Chinese software poses a serious threat to the privacy and security of passengers and the nation as a whole.

He also questioned the vice president and the national security agencies for launching such a system without addressing the security implications.

“This is a plug-and-play software that can be purchased and used for CCTV monitoring. However, Bawumia launched it yesterday, claiming that it was developed in Ghana.

“So, a whole country, Ghana, with its national security apparatus and intelligence, sat down to allow Bawumia to commission such a system without first addressing the underlying security concerns about the vehicle monitoring system?” he asked.

Regarding the security of the system, Yayra Koku said that the software could enable the Chinese government or hackers to access the facial images and personal data of passengers and to spy on the activities and movements of the buses.

“This software is hosted in China and is available for purchase by anyone who can afford the hardware (CCTV) it powers. My concern is whether we are now entrusting our safety to the Chinese.

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“Consider China’s mass surveillance and human rights violations. Anyone who boards the new bus is automatically monitored by CCTV, and their facial images are sent directly to Chinese servers. We do not know what the retention policy is with these companies. Data privacy concerns? Just to name a few,” the post said.

Dr Bawumia added in his speech that the new Tap and Go digital system, unlike the Aayalolo, which was only limited to intra-city, this new one is expansive and tailored to support other public transport services, including parcel deliveries and tracking, taxi hailing, inter-city bus services, inner-city bus services such as Metro Mass and Aayalolo.