MTN Cameroon was forced to defend itself after a report suggested messages it sent to subscribers “violate customer privacy” and were intended to “curtail customer rights”.

The allegations, reported by Cameroon Concord, relate to complaints customers received unsolicited messages relating to internet usage. In a statement MTN Cameroon CEO Philisiwe Sibiya said the suggestion there had been a privacy violation or a limit on customer rights were “contrary to what MTN Cameroon and the MTN group stand for”.

MTN’s statement confirmed messages intended for the “general public” were distributed by the company, alongside other providers in the country, on the request of the country’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, who heads up Cameroon’s principal telecoms regulator Minpostel.

Yesterday, Minpostel released a statement confirming it had used the country’s mobile operators to distribute messages on the responsible use of social media and warn against spreading “false news”.

Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng said: “For the past few days, subscribers of the various mobile telephone companies in Cameroon, namely Camtel, MTN, Orange and Viettel, have been receiving text messages urging them to make a responsible use of social media, and warning them of the criminal penalties provided by law in Cameroon for those who might be found guilty of issuing or spreading false news, including via social media.

“Those messages are part of an awareness campaign launched by Government through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, following high instructions by the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya.”

MTN Cameroon last year denied allegations of corruption relating to tax payments and royalties. The operator later embarked on a clean up of unregistered users to bring it inline with subscriber identification regulations.