by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
(The Last American Vagabond) As of Thursday July 17th, several new laws went into effect in Mexico which are likely to greatly increase the push towards a digital surveillance state.
The Mexican government says these new laws are aimed at fighting organized crime, drug trafficking, and helping with the search for missing people. The government has also argued that controversial changes to the nation’s telecommunications laws are designed to bridge the so-called “digital divide”, referring to the limited access to internet and cellular service in rural areas compared to urban environments.
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Mexico’s President Claudia Sheibaum has claimed that critics who have referred to the laws as a “spy law” or a “censorship law” are ignoring protections built into the new measures.
“It is false, it is a lie that the laws passed have to do with the State spying. False, it is a deliberate lie,” said Sheinbaum at a July press conference.
The most concerning change relates to the personal identity code for residents and citizens of Mexico known as the Clave Única de Registro de Población (Unique Population Registry Code), or CURP. Typically, the CURP consists of 18 characters related to a person’s family names, their place of birth, and their gender. The CURP operates similarly to the US Social Security number.
The new laws are set to require the CURP to include an applicant’s photograph and a QR code containing biometric data such scans of both fingerprints and eyes. The law calls for the creation of a “Unified Identity Platform” within 90 days by the Ministry of the Interior and the Digital Transformation Agency. The platform will integrate the biometric CURP with the healthcare system as well.
Mexico’s civilian intelligence service, the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia or CNI, and the National Guard will have access to the biometric data.
The biometric CURP would also be required for purchasing internet and cellular service. This would force businesses selling these services to check a customers CURP before purchase.
The law is supposed to be in effect across the country by February 2026. However, in a country known for having a weak federal government and rampant corruption it remains unclear how the policies will be enforced.
Mexican lawyer Alejandro Peña recently warned that the biometric CURP and the requirements for access to internet and phone service are not about protecting the country.
“Are we protecting the country or controlling the citizens? The Internet in Mexico will no longer be free,” Peña stated.
José Flores, director of local digital rights group R3D, said these new laws will create a detailed map of individual’s activities.
“This puts us in a massive surveillance ecosystem with no provisions to identify wrong use of data, data breaches, identity theft or acts of corruption,” said Flores.
Trump’s Role in the Expansion of Biometric Collection
The new laws could allow Mexico’s Security Minister the ability to establish data sharing agreements with other countries, including a potential deal with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hand over biometrics of suspected illegal immigrants who enter the US from Mexico.
US President Donald Trump’s ramping up of mass deportations of illegal immigrants and increased pressure on the Mexican government is also contributing to the rise of biometric data collection.
It will be by air, by land and by sea, according to Trump. So that’s not just immigrants. Welcome to your Freedom MAGA Biometric tracking system: https://t.co/yu4p8mRH0D pic.twitter.com/7vqXDr6JvO
— The Last American Vagabond (@TLAVagabond) January 18, 2025
In late March, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem told Fox News she met with Sheinbaum and told her Trump wanted Mexico to share biometric information of migrants in exchange for ending tariffs on the nation.
“She did sign some of those agreements with us, and I asked her specifically to share biometric information [of migrants] with us and she’s willing to discuss that even though that in her country would be a little bit controversial,” Noem said.
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