Govt Considers Face, IRIS Scans For SIM Issuance After Biometric Data Theft
Pakistan is considering facial and iris recognition for SIM issuance as authorities acknowledge that the existing fingerprint based biometric system is outdated and vulnerable to data theft.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told a National Assembly committee that the current system had failed to fully prevent identity and financial fraud despite a crackdown that has led to the blocking of 18.2 million illegal SIM cards over the past two and a half years.
PTA Chairman retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman said scammers were obtaining fingerprints from airports, driving license centers, passport offices and possibly even NADRA. He said the biometric system used for SIM issuance was being bypassed.
NCCIA Director Irfanullah Khan said criminals were exploiting gaps in the system and told the committee that the agency had seized 195 active SIM cards and 81 ATM cards used by scammers. The NCCIA and PTA also raided 110 facilities, blocked 29,000 illegal SIM cards and arrested 171 suspects, while data belonging to 600,000 people was recovered.
Chaudhry also raised concerns over the growing use of rented or mule bank accounts to launder proceeds from scams. He called for telecom companies to strengthen their security systems in coordination with the PTA.
The PTA chief proposed issuing SIMs only through NADRA’s PAKID system, while an SBP official suggested linking each SIM to a single IMEI number. MNA Khawaja Izharul Hassan proposed automatic SMS alerts whenever more than one SIM is issued against a citizen’s CNIC.
The committee directed the Interior Ministry to bring together the SBP, PTA, NCCIA and telecom operators to develop legislative, regulatory and technical measures to curb illegal SIMs and strengthen cybersecurity.
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