Soon Face Authentication Will be Mandatory to Get New SIM Cards

UIDAI has asked telcos to use face authentication for issuing new SIM cards.

From mid-September onwards, anybody looking to get a new SIM will have to give their Aadhaar ID, and get their face authentication done as well. These changes have been issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI via a notification.

Telcos across the country will have to adopt these changes by the stipulated timeline, failing which they are liable to pay fines for every transaction which defaults in the process. In addition to getting face authentication of the person, telcos will also have to take live photo of anybody issuing a new SIM card from next month onwards.

These changes, according to the UIDAI, have been brought about to reduce the chances of biometric cloning, that results in identity theft. It is also expected to improve the chances of people with worn out fingerprints getting their dues and benefits cleared.

The notification issued by UIDAI doesn’t state the optics of the equipment to be used for face authentication across various authentication user agencies (AUAs). The face/iris recognition data is supposed to be collected by the AUAs and submitted in a database, which will then be used for other authentication purposes.

Reports say that the use of facial recognition will happen in a phased manner. 

While most of the residents are able to authenticate using fingerprint or iris authentications, some residents face difficulty in successfully using biometric authentication using either of them.  Face authentication (FA) will come as an additional choice to create inclusive authentication for residents having difficulty with finger/iris IDs.

UIDAI notification

The matching of photo is not going to happen on the device, it will only capture. The photo will be sent to a central server, just like how it happens right now with Aadhaar numbers.

Also, experts have points out that UIDAI’s means of getting the face recognition done is unlikely to match Apple’s Face ID technology.

Given that Apple invested a big sum to develop the infrared-based specialised hardware to capture a 3D image of a person’s face, it’s dicey how it would compare to the 3-5 MP cameras used at the time of enrolment.

Ankush Johar, Director, Infosec Ventures to The Quint

India isn’t going to be the first country to implement face authentication, but using 2FA could reduce the instances of mass breaches, as accessing data of millions of users simultaneously becomes harder to execute.

More details are likely to be revealed closer to the launch of the feature but telcos, who are already under industry pressure due to falling revenues, will have to invest in more resources to adhere to UIDAI’s mandate, which they are liable to get done in the coming weeks.