The head of the HRC asked the State Duma to organize hearings on the bill on biometrics

Chairman of the Human Rights Council (HRC) under the President of Russia Valery Fadeev asked to hold hearings in the State Duma on the bill on a unified biometric system, which was adopted on November 24 in the first reading, informs HRC press office. The provisions of the document may infringe on the constitutional rights of Russians, the Council believes.

The bill, which provides for the creation of a unified biometric system for personal data of citizens, caused a great public outcry against the backdrop of reports of leaks of personal data, the HRC noted.

In their expert opinion, the members of the Council stated that in the event of a leak of biometric data, the negative consequences are “multiple times higher.” The fact is that people cannot change their fingerprints or voice if these data have been made public. In the case of the publication of passport data, there is an opportunity to change the document numbers, the HRC explained.

The bill also provides for the mandatory collection of biometric personal data, which, as noted, “may lead to discrimination against those citizens who refuse to provide data, for example, in terms of labor rights.”

Fadeev sent the conclusion of the HRC to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and asked to organize parliamentary hearings on the bill with the involvement of representatives of scientific, expert, religious and public organizations.

On October 12, State Duma deputy Anton Gorelkin introduced the first version of the bill regulating the operation of the GIS “Unified Biometric System” (UBS). On November 24, it was adopted in the first reading. In his Telegram channel Gorelkin clarifiedthat the bill does not provide for the introduction of mandatory biometrics. In the amendments to the second reading, the principle of voluntariness is spelled out in a separate paragraph.

The bill also provides for the possibility of deleting an entry in the EBS and stopping the processing of biometrics at the request of the subject (the possibility of the subject refusing to submit biometrics is already provided for by amendments to the law “On Personal Data”). It will also be possible to delete data upon a “reasoned request” from the federal executive authorities authorized in the field of security, the activities of the National Guard troops and the Foreign Intelligence Service.

The EBS was established in 2018 at the initiative of the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media (successor – Ministry of Digital Development) and the Bank of Russia. Its operator was appointed “Rostelecom“. Now you can take biometrics – a cast of your face and voice – only in person at a bank branch or MFC. Scenarios for using the system were originally tailored for the banking sector and provided for the possibility of opening a bank account or obtaining a loan.