Yemen: A local telecommunications company seized "one million numbers" of its subscribers without warning, a serious violation of privacy

Stockholm - Skyline expresses its astonishment that a local telecommunications company in Yemen has seized and transferred to others, without legal basis, about one million numbers of active subscribers. Skyline emphasises that this action is an unacceptable violation of privacy and integrity of personal data.

In a statement released today (Thursday), Skyline explains that more than a million subscribers of "Yemen Mobile" were recently surprised to find their numbers suddenly stopped and seized after the company announced the introduction of new updates to its system, which its customers considered a blatant violation of their privacy.

​ Skyline states that Yemen Mobile seized hundreds of thousands of its subsicribers 'numbers without warning and posed a real threat to the private data of these subscribers because bank accounts and social media accounts were linked to the numbers.

The human rights foundation Skyline explains that the company took this step due to the high number of its subscribers and approaching 10 million subscribers, especially after the activation of 4G services and the demand of citizens for new numbers.

According to the comments received by "Skyline", the company "Yemen Mobile" has blocked all numbers that have not been recharged within 90 days, although the majority of affected subscribers have used their numbers. The decision of the company "Yemen Mobile" caused angry reactions in Yemeni circles, as many considered it "another harmful violation" and another crime in a series of crimes and violations at all levels.

Subscribers expressed their anger at Yemen Mobile's arbitrary decision after their bank accounts and social network accounts were hacked, after they lost their numbers and had them revoked despite using and keeping them for a long time, and emphasised their opposition to these procedures.

For its part, "Skyline" condemns the decision of the company "Yemen Mobile" to seize and block hundreds of thousands of numbers, resulting in individuals being threatened and denied access to their banking data and accounts on social networks. It stresses that the communications company has become a prime suspect in violating of the privacy of individuals .

Skyline concludes its statement by calling on Yemen Mobile to reverse its recent decision and reactivate the connections in the holders' names, without claiming that such steps violate the right to privacy guaranteed by international law, noting that the seizure or blocking of a number must go through a series of procedures that begin with informing the number holder of the decision and stating the reasons for it.