Expert: Biometric Verification for SIM Cards Protects Public Identity

Cybersecurity expert Alfons Tanujaya believes the implementation of biometric verification for new prepaid SIM card registrations should be seen by the public as a form of identity protection amidst rampant personal data misuse. The Deputy Chairman 2 for Cyber Security at APTIKNAS (National Information and Communication Technology Entrepreneurs Association) stated that this system is an important refresh of the previous verification method, which relied on the Population Identification Number (NIK) and was prone to leaks. “The public should view this policy as a momentum to secure their digital identities,” Alfons told ANTARA on Friday. The implementation of biometric verification for prepaid SIM card registration will take effect in Indonesia starting 1 July 2026. To support the smooth running of this programme, the public can play an active role by updating their photo data at the local Population and Civil Registration Office (Dukcapil), especially if their photos were taken around 2011-2012 during the early days of the electronic KTP policy. Alfons explained that with an updated photo, citizens should obtain clearer and higher quality biometric data, ensuring that the verification process does not take a long time. “The biggest challenge lies in our old e-KTP photos, the majority of which were taken during mass recording in 2011–2012. These 15-year-old photos are prone to verification failure due to the physical aging effect, such as weight changes or wrinkles, coupled with the low resolution of old cameras,” he said. This data update should be free of charge and provide more accurate data clarity. By ensuring the front camera is clean and functioning properly, the data verification process via the telecommunications provider’s application should be easily completed. Finally, to support efforts to minimise identity misuse by cyber criminals, Alfons suggested that the public conduct independent checks using their NIK on all telecommunications provider applications. Under the new regulation, ownership is limited to three numbers per operator for a single NIK. Citizens must ensure no illegal foreign numbers are registered using their identity. According to data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, during the trial period from January to April 2026 with providers such as Telkomsel, Indosat, and XLSMART, the system successfully processed an average of 300,000 biometric registrations per day. Through collaboration between government infrastructure readiness and public compliance in updating data, this new regulation is expected to reduce losses from cybercrime in Indonesia, which according to the Indonesia Anti Scam Centre (IASC) have reached Rp 9.5 trillion.