Banks seek to obtain biometrics of Russians

[tanjimajuha20]

Russian telecommunications company Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has been included in the list of organizations that have received state accreditation in the field of authentication based on biometric personal data.

As of the end of January 2024, the list of accredited organizations included nine companies: JSC Rosselkhozbank, JSC Alfa-Bank, PJSC VTB Bank, PJSC Ak Bars Bank, PJSC Sberbank, JSC Post Bank, LLC Ovision, LLC Innovatsionnye Tekhnologii, PJSC MTS.

Read also

The Russian Ministry of denmark whatsapp number database Digital Development reported that organizations have begun to receive state accreditation to work with biometrics. The first were Rosselkhozbank and Alfa-Bank.

Accreditation will allow MTS to work with biometric data in the Unified Biometric System (UBS), as well as provide relevant services to commercial companies that do not have a sufficient technological base or the ability to independently obtain accreditation. In addition, biometrics through the commercial biometric system (CBS) will allow market players to reduce costs due to more favorable conditions and significantly simplify technological implementation.

"In 2022, MTS acquired VisionLabs, thereby ensuring a high level of competence in developing products and integrated solutions in the field of face and object recognition. VisionLabs is not just a subsidiary of the digital ecosystem, but also a technology partner of MTS KBS and a leader in the biometric identification market in the Russian Federation," said Kristina Katkova, head of the MTS identification center.

Thus, MTS became the first telecom operator to receive state accreditation for the use of biometric data. Other operators are in no hurry to undergo this procedure. For example, a representative of the press service of PJSC Rostelecom told a ComNews correspondent that the company does not use a biometric identification system: "There is no such need yet. In the future, if it arises, Rostelecom will obtain accreditation in accordance with the requirements established by Federal Law No. 572, or will be able to use a single biometric system."

Deputy Director for Key Account Management at the Russian IT company Sinimex Pavel Myshev believes that obtaining accreditation for working with biometrics is necessary and is primarily a security issue: "Obtaining licenses for organizations will help protect citizens' data from uncontrolled collection and ensure their safe storage in the Unified Biometric System. Perhaps this step will also have a positive effect on people who are currently afraid to submit biometric data without a guarantee from the state. Obtaining accreditation, for example, by a bank, will become a guarantee of security for them, and they will be able to open up new opportunities for the same remote service."

Independent expert on IT and telecom markets Vadim Plesskiy saw another reason for companies' desire to obtain accreditation: "A number of companies believe that in the future the state will force all citizens under the "digital cap" and biometrics will become necessary at every step. Therefore, they are rushing to obtain accreditation from the state in the hope of taking a share when the trickle of biometric data collected and processed now turns into a powerful flow of data later. The future will show whether such forecasts will come true. However, at the moment, the "EBS" project is essentially a failure. It was assumed that Russian citizens would be able to open accounts, deposits and receive commercial and government services using biometric data. But these services turned out to be unpopular. And citizens have a well-founded distrust of biometric identification systems."

Marat Tsikhmistrov, head of the audit and consulting center at Innostage, a developer of services and solutions in the field of digital security, believes that the list of accredited companies will be greatly expanded: "All companies interested in working with remote users will eventually start working with the Unified Biometric System. However, given global experience and accumulated statistics on leaks and thefts of biometric data, it is necessary to be extremely careful when providing them to counterparties. At the same time, authentication must be based on two or more factors. In particular, these may be a fingerprint and a permanent or one-time password."

Vadim Plesskiy is sure that the mass expansion of the list of accredited organiza