How Biometrics is Shaping Digital eGovernment Initiative

The market for biometrics is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years. Some estimates put the industry’s value at $30 billion by the end of this year, with revenue coming not just from the government but also from financial institutions and consumer electronics. In this post, we’ll discuss various biometrically enabled egovernment options.

Biometric Authentication for Sim Cards

Middle East Eye reports that in an effort to prevent mobile phone users from engaging in actions that undermine national security, the Saudi Ministry of the Interior will fingerprint everyone seeking to purchase a SIM card. For verification, we must submit your fingerprints to the National Information Centre in the kingdom. “From now, the fingerprinting technology is approaching the early phase of application,” reads one study. Some of the mobile phone companies operating in the nation had to import fingerprint-reading technology, so while the decision was taken last year, implementation didn’t begin until this year.

Validation using Biometrics

In December, it was reported that the government of Bangladesh has instituted biometric registration of mobile-phone SIM card holders in response to mounting concerns about the use of counterfeit and unregistered SIM cards for unlawful reasons. A new electronic ID card system, complete with fingerprint scanning and digital signatures, has been introduced in Hungary. Validity periods for adult citizens’ documents are extended to six years, while those for minors are shortened to three. No more than eight days should elapse between submitting the application for a citizen card and receiving the card in the mail. The electronic identity card (e-ID) combines many kinds of identification (fingerprints, Social Security number (SSN), and tax identification number (TIN)) into a single, portable document. In his remarks during the launch, Istvan Ignacz, the director of Hungary’s Central Office for Administrative and Electronic Public Services (KEKKH), boasted that the card had been developed in a record-breaking two months.

Learn more:https://www.m2sys.com/blog/e-governance/biometrics-is-shaping-digital-egovernment/