Fingerprint may soon become compulsory for SIM card

The government is exploring the option of making it compulsory for telecom service providers to take fingerprint or any other biometric feature of the subscriber when he/she applies for a mobile connection. The Department of Telecom (DoT) recently received a suggestion from the Ministry of Home Affairs indicating that the DoT maintain a central database of all subscribers with bio-metric parameters akin to the Aadhaar, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora said in the Lok Sabha. This would entail taking fingerprint/thumb impression or any other unique bio-metric feature of the subscriber when he/she applies for a mobile connection, he said adding that the suggestion “is presently being examined in the DoT and decision on the same is yet to be taken.” Last year, the DoT made it mandatory for a service provider to physically verify an applicant before issuing a SIM card. However, there have been reports that the process is not being adhered to. The Hindu