Below are two articles that demonstrate the increasing linkage between mobile phones and biometrics. The Pakistan government is going to soon require a biometric ID in order to own a mobile phone. The SIM card will be linked to the biometric ID of the owner.
In India they are going to begin by allowing those who have an existing Aadhaar biometric ID card to easily obtain a mobile phone with no delay and no messy paperwork. The plan is that eventually it will be impossible to obtain a mobile connection without an Aadhaar card. India and Pakistan are not the first countries to require the biometric registration of a SIM card. Nigeria also requires biometric registration of SIM cards. They are also going to a cashless economy and mobile phones are one of the media that will be used for payments. By 2015, biometrics will be required for all purchases in Nigeria.
The mobile phone is rapidly becoming the medium by which payments are made. Purchases are made with the purchasers mobile phone. And mobile phones are becoming the point of sale device for many merchants.
Also today, Apple introduced its Iphone 5S. It is widely known that the 5S will have a fingerprint reading home button. Linking the phone to the owners biometrics will prevent anyone but the registered owner from using the phone. Biometrics on an iconic device like the Iphone will lead to a much wider acceptance of biometrics in the United States.
Biometric verification of SIMs
Sunday, September 08, 2013 - Lahore—The
federal government has formed a committee for biometric verification
of mobile subscriber identity modules (SIMs) to end the misuse, said
an official.
The committee has been asked to come up
with a comprehensive doable working paper for the biometric
verification solution for the sale of SIMs, he added.
The decision was made in a meeting held
on Friday in the ministry of interior on unverified SIMs and
installation of biometric SIM verification solution.
The participants of the meeting
included secretaries interior, ministry of information and technology
(MoIT), chairman of National Database and Registration Authority
(Nadra), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and
representatives of cellular operators. They admitted that the sale of
unverified or wrongly registered SIMs was a national security issue –
which should be resolved at any cost, said the official who attended
the meeting.
India's Aadhaar touts instant mobile connections
The Indian government is finalizing
standards by year-end that it says will allow existing and new
Aadhaar cardholders to instantly receive a new mobile connection by
using their biometric ID card.
According to a report by Zeenews.com,
retailers can scan fingerprints and match these with existing
fingerprints on file at point of sale (POS). Once verified, a mobile
connection will instantly be approved.
This process currently takes longer as
a physical visit by a representative from the Indian mobile operator
is required to verify and approve connections. Usually, this process
can take three to five working days, which clearly isn't an effective
process. However, in light of security issues and the almost imminent
threat of terrorist attacks, verification measures were changed after
the Mumbai attacks in December 2008.
This process will also reduce the
amount of paperwork required by retailers, customers, and Indian
mobile operators, as the POS will automate the entire registration
process. However, additional documents will still be required, such
as a valid driving license or passport.
Eventually, the goal of the Indian
government is to make mobile connections available only with the use
of an Aadhaar card. So far, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications,
and Vodafone are onboard in their support for the initiative. As for
the remaining mobile operators, eventually they'll have to come on
board too. In the interest of both accountability and accuracy by the
Indian mobile operators to ensure they have the right subscriber
information, using the Aadhaar card probably is the best solution in
India.
However, here's the sticking point:
It's not mandatory to have an Aadhaar card in India. This obviously
raises the question about Indians who want to obtain mobile
connections but don't have an Aadhaar card. One would assume the
current application process will remain, but the Indian government is
moving toward issuing mobile connections only on Aadhaar card
registrations.
