Ministry of Science and ICT to hold briefing as early as this week on rollout plan
How system will apply to online, budget carrier channels remains unclear
Privacy concerns and lack of alternative verification methods persist
A facial recognition system for mobile phone sign-ups, set to take effect next month, is already running into trouble after the Personal Information Protection Commission raised objections before it even launched. The government has moved to revise enforcement decrees to establish a legal basis for using facial data, but questions remain over how the system will apply to online and budget carrier channels and what alternative verification methods will be available. Those unresolved questions have raised fears the rollout could be only partial from the start. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to hold a briefing as early as this week to head off confusion in the field.
A ministry official said Wednesday the briefing would be held "as early as this week, or at the latest early next week," and would explain how the facial recognition system would apply to online sign-ups and budget carriers, addressing concerns that have been raised so far.
The facial recognition system requires the three major mobile carriers and budget telecom operators to verify a customer's identity when activating a new phone by comparing the photo on their ID against a live image of their face. The measure was introduced to curb crimes such as the use of phones registered under other people's names, identity theft and voice phishing.
The government launched a pilot program in December last year, initially targeting a full rollout across all channels by March, but extended the pilot through the end of this month due to technical issues and field confusion. A July launch is now the target, though the specifics of how the system will apply to online sign-ups and budget carrier non-face-to-face channels are still being worked out.
The Personal Information Protection Commission challenged the entire process for using facial data. It found that the Ministry of Science and ICT had piloted biometric identification — which is subject to stricter protections than ordinary personal data — without conducting sufficient advance review from a privacy standpoint. The commission also said current law does not clearly permit the use of facial data as a means of identity verification during phone activation, and that the system in effect leaves users with no real option to refuse facial recognition.
In response, the ministry recently put forward a proposed amendment to the enforcement decree of the Telecommunications Business Act. The amendment would allow carriers, with user consent, to compare biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints against information held by government agencies and public institutions, or against ID photos, when necessary to verify identity and prevent fraudulent sign-ups.
Revising the enforcement decree alone, however, will not immediately resolve confusion on the ground. Phone activations take place not only at offline dealerships but also through online stores and budget carriers' non-face-to-face channels. Because IT infrastructure and procedures for handling failed verifications differ across channels, facial recognition may initially apply only to some channels while others rely on alternative methods.
Industry insiders warn that even if the system launches in July, it could operate in a limited form at first. Budget carriers in particular have long been identified as a major channel for phones registered under false names, yet their systems vary widely in readiness. For online sign-ups, a key challenge is standardizing the procedures for live facial capture, ID comparison and handling of failed verifications.
Alternative verification methods have not been fully sorted out either. The government is considering options including authentication through the Ministry of Interior and Safety's mobile ID app, submission of a resident registration abstract, and identity checks via the PASS app for resident registration and driver's license verification. Users who decline facial recognition, fail the verification, do not own a smartphone, or try to activate a phone outside community center hours could all require an alternative method.
Whether those alternatives will work smoothly in practice from day one is uncertain. Using a resident registration abstract would require carriers and retail networks to confirm submission and verify authenticity through their systems. The PASS app verification service is also being discussed only for limited, largely offline use until the necessary system development is complete.
Foreign nationals have been pushed to a later phase as well. The government plans to roll out the system for Korean nationals first and introduce facial recognition for foreign nationals in stages afterward. Critics note, however, that phones registered under foreign nationals' names are also a significant source of fraud, and excluding them from the initial rollout could limit the system's effectiveness in curbing crime.
"We support the intent behind facial recognition, but alternative procedures for those who fail or refuse verification need to work on the ground from day one," a telecom industry official said. "What matters more than the launch date is having detailed standards that reduce confusion for retailers and inconvenience for users."
rim@heraldcorp.com
