Criminals will benefit from Mexico's requirement that cellphone users hand over biometric data.
On March 12, Mexico’s Senate passed legislation requiring citizens to give up incredibly sensitive data in order to have access to a mobile phone. In addition to asking for a copy of an ID, telecoms will now be required to collect people’s fingerprints, faceprints, and home addresses. Companies will have two years to collect the data and make it accessible to the government.
In passing this law, Mexico joins the proud ranks of China, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and 18 other countries that require biometric data in order to obtain a SIM card and are not exactly known for being bastions of liberal democracy.
The justification for such a radical move is that mobile phones are key instruments in the extortions, kidnappings, and other crimes that have blighted Mexico over the past years. The government’s theory is that having people’s biometric data will help prevent and solve these crimes. Even though Mexico’s safety situation is dire, in practice, this measure doesn’t stand a chance of helping to fight crime. On the contrary, it is likely to become a massive boon to criminals.
Put yourself in the shoes of a criminal. You need a phone to commit a crime. Are you going to use your own phone? Of course not. In the past, you might have bought a cheap burner. Now, you have an incentive to steal a phone from someone else. In a country where 98% of crimes remain unsolved, stealing a phone is not a big risk. Or, perhaps you could intimidate an underprivileged teenager to buy a phone for you and hand over his biometric details.
