Advanced! Digital Social Assistance to Utilise Facial Recognition Technology
The government plans to integrate population data with asset ownership data to ensure the distribution of social assistance (bansos) is more targeted. The digitalised social assistance system will also be equipped with facial recognition technology.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, stated that the verification of social assistance recipients will be conducted through an application that integrates population data with information regarding citizens’ asset ownership.
“The fastest way is through faces, which are then integrated with information regarding what this person owns. What properties do they have? What is their wealth? However, this will not include tax or bank account details,” Tito said during a press conference at the Ministry of Social Affairs on Wednesday (30/09/2026).
Tito explained that the primary data will originate from the population data held by the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which includes biometric information such as facial recognition. This will then be cross-referenced with information regarding land and vehicle ownership, as well as banking data.
“Data from Dukcapil will be integrated with asset ownership, so it will show if there is property ownership; for example, if they own land, the ATR/BPN (Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning) data will be included. If they own a car, the police data will be included,” Tito explained.
This cross-referencing is intended to assess the alignment between the social condition of the social assistance recipient and the assets registered under their name.
Tito noted that this process is part of the government’s ongoing digitalisation of social protection.
“So, if previously someone was a recipient of social assistance, but upon tracking, it is found they own a car or land, it will be detected,” Tito emphasised.
However, citizens can still file an appeal if their economic circumstances change, making them still eligible for social assistance.
“Complaints are allowed. For example, citizens affected by disasters—who might have previously owned a car or land that was lost due to a disaster, but the data has not yet been updated by ATR/BPN, the police, or BPS (Statistics Indonesia). If they ask, ‘Why am I not included in the social assistance?’, they are still allowed to appeal,” said Tito.