Bolt Holdings Ou, the data processor for the ride-hailing platform Bolt, has been ordered by the Adentan Circuit Court to compensate Justice Noah Adade, a lecturer and CEO of a software solutions company, GHS 1.9 million. This ruling follows the court’s finding that Bolt failed to prevent the theft of Mr. Adade’s identity, which was subsequently used by a driver.
In August 2022, Mr. Adade ordered a ride via the Bolt app and was shocked to see his own photo and details associated with the driver who arrived—his employee, Peter Walker. Walker confessed to stealing Mr. Adade’s identity to register as a Bolt driver.
Mr. Adade filed a lawsuit, alleging Bolt was negligent in verifying driver identities, thus enabling the identity theft. The court, presided over by Her Honour Sedinam Awo Kwadam, ruled that Bolt violated Ghana’s Data Protection Act by not conducting a liveliness identity verification check when registering drivers. This failure constituted a breach of the duty of care owed to Mr. Adade.
The court also noted that Bolt’s actions caused Mr. Adade emotional distress and harmed his reputation, forcing him to incur legal expenses. Bolt’s defense, claiming diligence and reasonable care, was dismissed, as the court found no evidence suggesting Mr. Adade contributed to the identity theft.
In addition to the compensation, the court ordered Bolt to pay GHS 20,000 for Mr. Adade’s legal fees. The Data Protection Commission has been tasked with conducting a forensic audit of Bolt’s systems to verify driver identities and will extend this review to other ride-hailing platforms in Ghana by March 2024.
SOURCE: https://dew360.net
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