Biometric authentication app for national ID soon to launch in Philippines

According to the Philippine News Agency, on Tuesday, the Philippine Statistics Authority in Negros Oriental (PSA-Negros Oriental), began piloting its civil registration services (CRS) app to authenticate national IDs with biometrics.

As an added security measure for the ID card program, the app is designed to determine whether IDs are valid. It can authenticate physical cards and ePhilIDs, according to PSA-Negros Oriental chief Ariel Fortuito in a statement to the Philippine News Agency.

“Since the national ID cards no longer bear the signature of its owner, the CRS app can authenticate its information and other data stored in it, such as iris scans and biometrics,” said Fortuito.

As of late Tuesday, the PSA had spent three days testing roughly 25 clients’ national ID cards using the system. Government agencies like Social Security, Philippine Health Insurance, and Government Service Insurance System already can use the system to validate identities, according to the article. It is also available to private institutions like banks.

Kiosks might be installed for ID authentication using QR codes, for instance, said Fortuito. The release of the app in Negros Oriental is set for next month.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  document verification  |  national ID  |  PhilID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority