Indonesia is testing a facial recognition and liveness detection trial designed to accelerate the pace of SIM registrations while stifling the occurrence of digital asset fraud in the country.
According to a report, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs is spearheading the pilot, experimenting with the offering at Jakarta-based telco GraPARI Graha Merah Putih. The trial, in collaboration with mobile operator Telkomsel, will integrate biometric data and liveness detection tools in the SIM registration process.
Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, Director General of Digital Ecosystem at the Ministry, noted that intending customers of the telecommunications company can be onboarded with biometrics linked to the country’s national population database. Abdullah pointed out that by sidestepping the need to collect new biometric data, the telecommunication company and users will save significant manhours.
Apart from its time-saving perks, the Ministry added that leaning on biometrics from the national population database will reduce fraud and scam schemes associated with the SIM registration process. Since the turn of the decade, Indonesian authorities have struggled with a surge in illegal double registrations, as scammers exploit the lax guardrails.
The pilot testing of the liveness detection functionalities achieved an impressive milestone, confirming that intending users seeking registration are real persons. Abdullah disclosed that the ISO 30107-compliant liveness detection feature showed promise in identifying video recordings and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes from real humans.
The latest collaboration between the Ministry and Telkomsel aims to align the telecommunications industry with the Indonesian government’s digitization objectives. Thailand and other South Asian countries have racked up early successes with liveness detection and biometric integrations in their telecommunications industry.
“Telkomsel supports government policies in implementing biometric-based registration to improve customer digital identity security,” said Telkomsel Sales Director Stanislaus Susatyo.
Malaysia to increase surveillance for foreign visitors with biometrics
Elsewhere, Malaysian authorities have unveiled an extensive plan to track all foreign visitors to the Southeast Asian country, as illegal entries and border corruption have reached an all-time high.
The country will use biometrics to monitor the entry and exit of tourists, giving each visitor a unique, immutable record. The Home Ministry noted that the plans will come under the newly minted Foreign Digital Identity (FDID) system, an initiative linked to Malaysia’s centralized biometric database.
In particular, authorities will collect iris scans, facial recognition, and fingerprints of each visitor at airports, thereby creating an identifying record of the individual. Officials from the Home Ministry disclosed that the efforts with emerging technologies are intended to automate immigration processes at entry points while limiting the use of human discretion.
“Each visitor will have a unique official record, making it difficult to falsify or manipulate,” read a statement from the Ministry. “This system also allows the entry and exit of foreign nationals to be tracked effectively.”
Malaysia has been plagued by a series of high-profile corruption scandals involving foreigners paying bribes to bypass proper entry checks. To mitigate the incidents, the government has introduced a range of initiatives to complement the FDID system.
Malaysia will launch an Advanced Passenger Screening System (APSS), designed to enable border authorities to view passenger information up to three days prior to departure. Designed as a first layer of border control, the system will utilize AI to identify high-risk travelers before they arrive at the airport for screening.
Under the hood, data gleaned from the APSS will be transferred to a Risk Assessment Engine (RAE), which will “scientifically and transparently” analyze the information.
Furthermore, the government intends to introduce an auto-gate system to identify visitors with arrest warrants and those who have overstayed their visas. The auto-gate functionality will halt the exit of blacklisted individuals, referring them to the Immigration Department for disciplinary actions.
While the use cases of digital ID systems have reached high levels, experts are highlighting their growing utility in the travel industry. Several leading airports have revealed plans to introduce biometric systems and digital IDs, with Morocco pursuing aviation sector digitization in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Furthermore, Vietnam has expanded access to its digital ID for foreigners visiting the country, with the U.K. keen on stifling illegal migration with its offering. Within local borders, digital ID systems with biometric functionalities have gained significant utility, with several countries utilizing them to identify pensioners and persons with disabilities for grant purposes.
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