The Adentan Circuit Court has ordered Bolt Holdings OU to pay GH₵1.9 million in compensatory damages to Justice Noah Adade after his name and photo were used to identify a driver for his own ride request. The ruling, delivered by Judge Sedinam Awo Kwadam on September 18, 2024, stemmed from an incident on August 1, 2022, when Justice Adade ordered a Bolt ride and discovered his identity had been misappropriated.
The court learned that the ride was driven by Peter Walker, an employee of Justice Adade, who had stolen his identity to register as a Bolt driver. After unsuccessful attempts to seek compensation from Bolt Holdings OU, Justice Adade pursued legal action.
The court found Bolt Holdings OU liable as the data processor for Bolt Operations OU, the data controller, for failing to verify Walker's identity. This negligence constituted a breach of the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), specifically violating sections concerning personal data compliance.
The court highlighted that Justice Adade was entitled to compensation under Section 43(1) of the Act due to Bolt's failure to conduct necessary identity checks during the driver registration process. As a result, the court ordered Bolt Holdings OU to pay GH₵1.9 million in damages, along with GH₵20,000 in costs. Bolt Ghana Limited was cleared of any liability.
The court emphasized the responsibility of organizations processing personal data to maintain high standards to protect individuals from identity theft. It instructed the Data Protection Commission to conduct a forensic audit of Bolt's systems and ensure that liveliness identity verification checks are implemented for all drivers registered on the platform by March 2024. The commission was also tasked with ensuring that all ride-hailing platforms in Ghana undertake similar verification processes.
For your information, kindly review the proceedings from the recent sitting here:
Credit:MyJoyOnline.
