Office of the Registrar of Companies Reports Online Portal Disruption
The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has announced that its online portal is currently experiencing a temporary disruption as a result of identified instances of unauthorised use of access points within the portal.
The unauthorised use of access points was discovered during an audit, raising concerns relating to compliance with the Data Protection Act, the Companies Act, and potential revenue leakages associated with certain paid services.
In response, the ORC said it had taken immediate steps to review and secure affected access points.
“While these corrective actions are necessary to protect the integrity of the system, they have inadvertently led to limited access for some users of the portal,” it said in a statement.
The ongoing audit and system review are focused on strengthening the overall governance and security of the platform, including aligning the level of information accessible on the portal with provisions of the Companies Act; enhancing data access controls and privacy safeguards; and ensuring full compliance with the Data Protection Act and established cybersecurity standards.
“These measures are being implemented to safeguard sensitive personal and corporate information, while reinforcing public trust in the ORC’s digital services.
“The Office wishes to clarify that the temporary disruption of the portal is not in any way linked to discussions or issues relating to the sole-sourcing of government contracts.”
Additionally, the ORC emphasised that the company name search feature on its portal is limited in scope and only displays the names of companies registered with the Office.
It affirmed that it does not provide ownership details or other sensitive company information and, therefore, cannot be used to determine company ownership through a simple name search.
“Members of the public seeking detailed information on any registered company may do so by submitting a formal request to the Office. All such requests will be processed and responded to within three (3) working days.”
It further assured the public that efforts are underway around the clock to restore full functionality of the portal as well as enhance security to ensure the protection of client data and the resilience of the system.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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