by The WinePress, The WinePress:
One woman responded, “They say it’s for security, but security for who? I mean, we’re always vulnerable. Our data is exposed everywhere.”
The Mexican government has pushed back its mandatory biometric digital ID on smartphones until this summer after many residents simply dragged their heels and couldn’t be bothered to fall in line. The new compliance date has now been pushed back to the end of this year.
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The WinePress first reported on the nation’s push for digital ID last year, though there have been some legal hurdles that have slowed down President Claudia Sheinbaum’s ambitions, as part of her administration’s broader push to methodically introduce a cashless society.
Mexico Mandates Biometric Identifier System By Collecting Everyone’s Personal Data, But Faces Legal Hurdles. Mexico City Becomes Most Monitored City In Americas
Mexico And President Claudio Sheinbaum Announce Phase-Out Of Cash By End Of 2026 To Pay For Gas And Toll Booths, Forces Mandatory Digital ID Or Citizens Lose Their Phones
Mexicans have been asked to register with biometric citizen identifier, Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP).
From a press release statement from the Government of Mexico:
For everyone’s safety, each telephone number must be in the name of a person, in order to eliminate the anonymity that has allowed crime to commit crimes such as fraud or extortion. With this measure, Mexico will no longer be one of the few countries that allowed the acquisition of a chip without identification, and joins this international practice in force in 166 countries.
This Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) reports that the linking of lines has had sustained and growing progress, and to date 63 million lines are already linked: 40.2 million prepaid and 22.8 million postpaid that do not require a new procedure for be associated with a person from their hiring.
Prepaid lines that have not been linked so far will have a deadline assigned according to the last digit of the phone number. Thus, a calendar is established so that, between August and December, each user links their line to their telephone company, in the following order:
Once the period corresponding to each digit has expired, the telephone companies will suspend the service of those lines that have not been linked in the next 72 hours, and will only be able to make calls to emergency numbers, citizen service numbers and their telephone company, as well as how to receive alerts in case of earthquake. Once the line is linked, the phone company will restore all services (calls, messages and mobile data).
It is reiterated that the process is not carried out by the government, but is carried out directly before the telephone companies, which only associate the user’s name and CURP with the cell phone number, eliminating any other data or image used during the linking process.
In the event that a crime is committed that involves the use of a line, the competent authorities may request information from telephone companies, complying with the provisions provided for in the National Code of Criminal Procedures.
Simply put: Mexicans have not rushed out in compliance.
Azteca Noticias reported one month ago: “Out of the 158 million active cell phone lines, only 49.5 million have been registered with the CURP, that is, just 31%. One month before the deadline expires, millions of Mexicans refuse to hand over their personal data.”
Those interviewed expressed their concerns. “Well, if we’re going to do it, I think they should make sure—or give us some certainty—that all our data really will be properly protected,” said an interviewee. Another said the scheme was a “waste of time.”
Moreover, that same Spanish outlet reported last week that many still don’t trust what their government is doing. One woman responded, “They say it’s for security, but security for who? I mean, we’re always vulnerable. Our data is exposed everywhere.”
Another man told the outlet, “Ever since I linked it, I’ve been getting messages saying I made a deposit into some illegal account, telling me it’s my bank when, well, banks don’t text you like that. And honestly, I feel like they’re stealing your information even faster.”
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