Mandatory Face Recognition for New SIM Registrations, Kemkomdigi Assures Data Security

The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) has assured the security of data for telephone number owners registering new SIM cards using facial recognition biometrics. Director General of the Digital Ecosystem, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, explained that facial biometric data from SIM registrations is stored with Dukcapil and not retained by mobile operators. “Your facial data is not stored by mobile operators. Operators only encrypt facial data before sending it to Dukcapil,” Edwin said at the Garuda Spark Innovation Hub in Jakarta on Friday, 29 May 2026. “The demographic data collected during biometric registration is exclusively the responsibility of Dukcapil, not mobile operators. Your facial data is not stored by mobile operators,” he added. The facial data is then sent to Dukcapil for verification of accuracy. “Data is sent to Dukcapil for verification, after which Dukcapil responds with ‘match’ or ‘no match’,” Edwin explained. Edwin hopes the new registration scheme will reduce online spam and fraud. This is because nearly all cybercrime methods, including scam calls, spoofing (using numbers resembling official entities), smishing (SMS phishing), and social engineering fraud, utilise telephone numbers. “This system ensures mutual protection among mobile operators, consumers, and the government—not just safeguarding the state, but also protecting citizens and telecom providers,” Edwin said.