fake newsletter forced less than 1% of Russians to abandon biometrics – Kommersant

After a fake message was sent out in instant messengers that it was possible to refuse the collection of biometrics only until August 31, less than 1% of Russian residents opted out, they say press service Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation.

“The scammers called for people to come to the MFC before August 31, but in fact, if desired, a refusal to collect biometrics can be issued at any time, and storing data in a unified biometric system allows you to ensure their security,” the ministry said in a statement.

The press service stated that the average age of those who issued biometric waivers is 60-70 years old, 65% of them are women, 69% are unemployed or retired. It is also stated that 12% of applications were written by parents on behalf of their children, 71% of those who filed a refusal do not use public services, more than 40% live in small settlements.

On June 1, a law came into force according to which biometric profiles of Russians (facial image and voice recording) must be transferred to the state Unified Biometric System (UBS) by September 30, 2023. From November 28, the biometrics of Russians will have to be stored only in the EBS.

How informed According to Kommersant, at the end of August, public service centers faced a rush of demand for the service of refusing to collect and store biometric data. The reason was a message in messengers that a refusal to collect biometrics can be issued only until August 31, after which citizens will allegedly be forced to take photographs through ATM cameras and record their voices over the phone. The government later signed a decree that allowed Russians can withdraw their consent to the processing of biometric personal data through the State Services portal.

Read more about the centralization of biometric data of citizens of the Russian Federation in the material “Biometrics trumpet collection”.

Erdni Kagaltynov