Kuwait allays human rights fears linked to compulsory biometric fingerprinting

Kuwaiti authorities have assured that an ongoing exercise to capture the fingerprint biometrics of nationals and expatriates in the country fully aligns with international human rights requirements.

The Director of the Criminal Evidence Department’s General Department of Personnel Identification, Brigadier Nayef Al-Mutairi, allayed the fears while speaking at a recent symposium during which he announced a high compliance rate so far with the government directive, according to Kuwait Moments.

The official reassured during the event which was organized by the Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences, in collaboration with Kuwait University, that there is nothing to worry about data privacy and security regarding the biometric capture campaign which has been going on for a year now.

He noted that already, 98 percent of Kuwaiti citizens have complied with the measure, meaning just slightly over 20,000 persons are yet to complete the biometric fingerprinting process. Of this number, nearly 10,000 of them live outside the country.

Al-Mutairi, during the symposium, also restated the importance of the campaign by the government, saying it is to strengthen the national security apparatus by biometrically identifying everyone living within its national territory.

The Director General of the Academy, Brigadier Ali Al-Wahib, corroborated Al-Mutairi, noting that the biometric capture is being conducted in consonance with national legislation and all other international human rights-related instruments the country is a party to.

Speaking about expatriates, Al-Mutairi said their biometric capture compliance rate is at 87 percent, representing just over 470,900 persons.

Early this month, government authorities urged expats to get themselves registered as a December deadline set for them is fast approaching.

Enhanced security measures introduced for ID app verification

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti government officials have also announced that a three-phased verification process for the Kuwait mobile ID dubbed “My Kuwait ID” has been introduced as a security enhancement measure.

The levels of verification depend on the method of registration used by the ID holder, Zawya reports.

The levels include “Medium” which involves registration where data was entered manually, “High” which is based on registration by scanning the civil ID card using NFC technology, and “Verified” which concerns registration done using self-service devices.

These levels allow access to different features on the digital ID app and are vital in protecting user data.

Kuwait’s digital transformation journey is characterized by several projects which aim to put the country in a good position to achieve the objectives of its 2035 emergence vision.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  human rights  |  identity verification  |  Kuwait