Another SIM registration drive is underway, this time in Argentina, where regulator Enacom has kicked off what will be a 60-day process as identity validation through biometric data for mobile telephony comes into force.
Enacom announced recently that it had formalized the relevant regulations for an identification system to combat fraud and increase the security of users of cell phones.
At the moment companies register the name, surname and national identity document of a user. The new conditions, Enacom says, will reinforce the ID and validation process for registrations of new lines, presumably by asking for biometric identification, when a new SIM card is requested. There will also be an obligation to ‘revalidate’ the identity of a user in certain cases.
The regulation adds that Enacom may require periodic reports from providers that contain detailed statistics on incidence and types of fraud.
The online news service Biometric Update explains that the aim of such regulations is to reduce identity theft and hacking carried out by swapping genuine SIMs for cloned cards.
Access to regular ID information makes the lives of cloners easier because phone companies ask for biographical account details in order to approve a new card for a phone.
Using biometrics, such as face recognition, is likely to be more secure, though it’s not clear what happens to the many users of phones that do not have face biometric functions.
The new regulation will come into force 60 days after the publication of the resolution that approved it.