On September 22nd, 2021, a woman contacted me via WhatsApp on my personal number, +17587180045. She explained to me that Digicel had reassigned my number to her at her most recent purchase. In adding the number to her phonebook, she found that it was already registered on Whatsapp, to me, and contacted me. I am currently out of the island, but I was grateful that she contacted me. I thanked her and told her that I would contact Digicel and ask them to restore my number. She too said that she would go to Digicel to ask for a new number. On September 23rd, in the middle of a business conversation, I was logged out of my Whatsapp account. Whatsapp informed me that my number had been used to sign into another phone. Needless to say, I lost all of my data, and my Whatsapp contacts, unless I send them a message one by one,  have no way of being informed of my change in number. I also had several opportunities tied to this number with universities, fellowships and business. That's out the door.

Additionally, upon further investigation, I've found that all of the identification information attached to the number still belongs to me. This means that if anyone uses my number for nefarious purposes, and someone comes looking, they're looking for me.

In sharing my experience on social media platforms, several Digicel customers came forward sharing similar experiences. One user even shared with me how this behavior endangered his life, and it became clearer how deep a violation of a consumer's right it is to have something that they paid for and maintained for years to be reassigned to someone else without their approval

Furthermore, we have come to a juncture in the digital age where telephone numbers play an elemental and uncontested role in security and identification. Almost every social media platform today demands the provision of a valid mobile number for two-factor authentication purposes. On platforms such as Whatsapp, users find themselves in a position where their numbers are also part and parcel of the safeguarding of highly sensitive data. Bearing these realities in mind, the practice of number re-assignment without the consent/approval of the customer must cease. The practice of number re-assignment is dangerous both to the economic and physical well being of the consumer, and infringes on, and compromises the right of the consumer to have his/her data protected.

I am petitioning telecommunications companies in Saint Lucia, the Department of  Consumer Affairs, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission St. Lucia to cease the practice of number re-assignment and to render illegitimate any contractual agreement between telecommunications companies and customers which facilitates this practice.