The Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi) is preparing new regulations for mobile customer registration in Malaysia.
Under the proposed framework, users must register new mobile numbers using biometric population data and facial recognition technology.
This differs from Regulation of the Minister of Communications and Informatics No. 5/2021, which requires registration using a National Identity Number (NIK) and Family Card details.
CNN Indonesia reported that criminals have widely misused this method for hoaxes, online gambling, spam SMS, and fraud.
“Therefore, improvements to customer registration requirements are necessary to ensure the validity of telecommunications customer data is carried out safely, effectively, and efficiently,”
Komdigi said that although Article 153(2) of Regulation 5/2021 requires KYC with biometric facial recognition, it lacks technical procedures.
The regulation does not formally outline how to implement the biometric process.
Komdigi said this gap highlights the need for a new regulation on the technical requirements for registration using biometric population data.
The ministry will introduce this as the Ministerial Regulation on Mobile Telecommunications Customer Registration.
Under the planned rules, citizens registering a number must provide their MSISDN, NIK, and facial recognition biometric data.
Those under 17 and unmarried, who do not yet have an ID card or recorded biometrics, will register using their MSISDN and NIK, plus the NIK and biometric data of the head of household listed on the Family Card.
Similarly, eSIM users must provide their MSISDN, NIK, and facial recognition data.
The regulation will cover prepaid and postpaid registration, customer data security, number protection, and monitoring and enforcement.
Implementation will occur in stages. For the first year, registrations may still use NIK and Family Card numbers. Thereafter, NIK and facial recognition biometrics will be mandatory.
Finally, the biometric requirement will apply only to new customers, while existing users will not need to re-register.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Indonesia, based on image by freepik
