Design and Evaluation of Privacy-Preserving Protocols for Agent-Facilitated Mobile Money Services in Kenya

Explore a 13-minute conference presentation examining innovative privacy-preserving protocols designed to enhance security in mobile money services across Kenya. Learn about the research conducted by an international team from Indiana University, The George Washington University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Strathmore University that addresses critical privacy vulnerabilities in Mobile Money (MoMo) systems used throughout Africa and developing regions. Discover how current know-your-customer (KYC) processes expose sensitive user information to human agents during deposit and withdrawal operations, creating significant privacy and security risks. Examine the proposed alternative protocols that redirect sensitive information flow from agents to MoMo providers while maintaining necessary verification capabilities. Understand the comprehensive evaluation methodology involving role-play scenarios and semi-structured interviews with 32 users and 15 agents in Kenya, revealing user and agent preferences for the new protocols due to convenient biometric verification, improved data privacy, and better access control. Analyze the implementation challenges identified through the study that must be addressed before real-world deployment of these privacy-enhancing protocols in mobile financial services.