The Agency for Identification Documents, Records and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA), regarding information about the sale of scanned passports on illegal internet platforms (the so-called dark web), emphasizes that such abuses most often occur due to the carelessness of individuals when using and storing personal documents, and not the compromise of official databases.
IDDEEA informs citizens that all personal data in official records is protected at the highest security level and that there is no risk of data from official databases being compromised.
“The Law on the Protection of Personal Data of BiH, as well as other relevant regulations, clearly defines who and under what circumstances may request a copy of personal documents. Copying and scanning of personal documents is allowed only by authorized institutions and organizations in accordance with the legal basis and for precisely prescribed purposes. We especially note that hotels, travel agencies and other private organizations do not have the legal right to retain copies of personal documents without an explicit legal basis. They have the right to establish their personal identity and enter their name and surname, if applicable, as well as the reason for the visit, which is a minimum of data provided to these organizations, but without the obligation to leave personal documents at the hotel reception, etc.,” the statement from IDDEEA states.
IDDEEA reminds citizens of the measures to protect personal documents:
Handle documents carefully – Do not share scanned or photographed copies of passports and other personal documents, especially via the Internet and unverified services. Unknown online services can pose a risk.
Report a lost or stolen document – If your passport is lost or stolen, immediately report the case to the competent authorities so that the document is officially canceled and possible misuse is prevented.
Verify identity when providing data – Be careful to whom and for what purposes you provide data from your documents. Irresponsible provision can lead to attempted misuse.
“IDDEEA continuously improves security standards and applies the most modern technological measures to ensure the integrity of the personal data of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Any suspicion of misuse of personal data and/or documents should be reported to the competent authorities,” they stated.
They also emphasized that IDDEEA encourages and supports citizens to use digital signatures as a secure and reliable method of authentication in online communication with institutions and the private sector.
“By using a digital signature, citizens can reduce the risk of misuse of personal data, identity fraud and unauthorized access to their documents. We emphasize that a digital signature enables faster and more efficient performance of administrative tasks without the need to physically come and hand over a personal document, which further improves the protection of privacy and user data,” said IDDEEA.
Let us recall that two days ago, the media published an article stating that passports of BiH citizens are being sold on the dark web, and that many people do not know it.
Arnela Šabović, an ethical hacker, or rather a person who uses computer knowledge for the benefit of society, told us that there are many places on the dark web where photographed documents of BiH citizens are being sold.
