South Africa Entertaining Idea Of Requiring Biometric Data To Purchase A Cellphone

(by Gregory Hoyt | Red Voice Media) – According to reports, government officials in South Africa are now one of the handful of countries that are considering the compulsory handing over of biometric data during the process of registering a SIM card – a.k.a., what’s used to have a cellphone activated.

The justification for entertaining the handing over of such data is being championed as a means to help deter fraud, but this technology can also be used as an inalienable link between a phone and its owner – which undoubtedly serves as a delight to law enforcement.

A March 24th report from BusinessTech notes that the “Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has proposed tying the biometric data of South Africans to their SIM cards in a move to clamp down on fraudulent activity.”

So what is biometric data? Well, it can be a lot of things: a mapping of one’s fingerprint, a retinal scan, facial recognition – all things that are unique to a single person. Read Full Article >