NITDA warns Nigerians against sharing NIN, BVN, others with AI platforms

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Nigeria has cautioned citizens against sharing sensitive personal information, such as identity numbers, bank details, photos, and medical results, with artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. This warning was issued in an advisory titled "Advisory on the Safe Use of AI Platforms" on the agency's website.

The agency highlighted the growing use of AI chatbots and assistants, such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and Meta AI, for various activities like schoolwork, business, job applications, health inquiries, and personal matters. NITDA stated that users often unknowingly share personal information with AI platforms, which may be retained, logged, and used to train the platform's AI models.

The agency warned that personal details shared with AI could be exposed in data breaches, leading to identity theft, impersonation, or financial fraud. Additionally, AI tools might provide inaccurate or outdated answers, causing serious harm if acted upon in health, legal, financial, or academic contexts. NITDA advised the public to anonymize or pseudonymize their information before using AI tools.

It also emphasized verifying the privacy and data-handling terms of AI platforms and refraining from uploading internal documents without authorization. Organizations were urged to establish AI governance policies defining approved tools, permitted use cases, data-handling rules, and accountability for AI use. The agency urged users to be cautious about the information they provide to AI platforms, stating that careful consideration should be given before sharing any data.