Mexican Government delays Biometric Registration Deadline after massive public resistance
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TL;DR
The Mexican government has delayed biometric registration after so little people registered
It was so little that phone companies would’ve lost millions if they had to disconnect all the phones that wasn’t registered
Distrust of the government has forced the governments new system to be pushed back
full text
“Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced an extension to a controversial deadline that required Mexican citizens and foreign residents to register their phone lines with their identification.
The move comes after less than half of the country signed up to register their phone lines.”
“Mexico’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) announced a staggered extension for citizens to register their mobile phone lines with their identification.
This controversial requirement has received pushback and resistance from the Mexican population, many of whom question how their data will be stored and used.”
“prepaid phone lines that have not yet been linked to an identity will now have until between August and December to complete the process, with the deadline based on the last digit of the phone number. The new policy states that after the deadline expires, telephone companies will suspend service to non-compliant lines within 72 hours.”
The press release for this says
“For the safety of all, every telephone number must be registered in the name of one person, in order to eliminate the anonymity that has allowed crime such as fraud or extortion. With this measure, Mexico will cease to be one of the few countries that allowed the acquisition of a SIM card without identification, and will join the international practice currently in place in 166 countries.”
Calls for an extension happened because many critics said the government didn’t prepare the public enough
In late May, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim called for an extension because the process was “very complicated” and progressing slowly.
“With the extension of the deadline, the Mexican government and telecom companies are hoping extra time is all that will be necessary to convince more than 50 million people to comply with the mandate.
This may prove more challenging than they anticipated in a country well known for mistrust of official institutions.”
“While many phone users in Mexico have already shared personally identifying information when signing up for their service,
many activists, journalists, domestic violence victims, and those seeking anonymity have relied on prepaid anonymous SIM cards. The new laws could end that practice by requiring registration with proof of identity.
Furthermore, individuals who have not previously obtained a CURP will be required to submit biometric information as part of the new biometric CURP rollout in order to maintain phone and internet service.”
The claim is that these new rules will fight organized crime, drug trafficking, and finding missing people
But people have pointed out that this is the perfect opportunity for government surveillance
This increased after Sheinbaum announced a plan to end cash payments for gas stations and toll roads. “Our goal is that this year we make it mandatory to pay for gasoline and toll booths digitally. This will allow us to promote accessible digital payments that allow us to advance the digitization of the country through many other schemes,” she said in a speech in March.
resistance
Mexican journalist Ignacio Gómez Villaseñor went over who has registered and what this means
Less than 10% of phones have been registered
It would make discounting the unregistered phones impossible for these companies without losing millions or even billions
Ignacio Gómez Villaseñor has concluded
“I insist: don’t register. We’re beating the government.”
“This sentiment of opposition to registration appears to have persisted as the deadline drew nearer. Recent reports from Mexican media include numerous “man-on-the-street” style interviews with locals who openly admit they do not plan to register. Similar comments can be found across Mexican social media.
In a late May report for Azteca Noticias, journalist Carmen Sanchez spoke with several Mexico City residents who acknowledged their reluctance to participate. According to the report, only 31% of Mexicans had been registered by mid-May.”
a lesson
The government isn’t giving up, but it shows the amount of distrust in the government that the people have
It’s still a major win
