Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology is exploring the use of facial and fingerprint scanning as a requirement to verify and activate social media accounts, aiming to curb anonymous abuse and reduce multiple account ownership.
Secretary-General Ismail stated that this mechanism would encourage users to take greater responsibility for their online activities, emphasizing that strong digital identification using biometric verification would help people remain themselves in digital spaces and minimize misuse.
The proposal, currently under discussion stage, emerged after lawmakers highlighted concerns that multiple accounts fuel the spread of harmful content, fake profiles, and unauthorized impersonation that harm public interests and qualified individuals.
However, privacy advocates including Shita Laksmi from SAFEnet caution that mandatory facial verification could violate Indonesia's Personal Data Protection Law No. 27/2022, which classifies biometric data as sensitive and requires clear legal basis, purpose limitation, and security safeguards.
The government's consideration aligns with Indonesia's experience implementing biometric systems like the INA Pass digital identity and facial verification pilots in healthcare, though questions remain about mandatory versus voluntary implementation and compliance with data protection standards.
