Indonesia trials facial recognition, liveness detection to boost telecom registration security

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has launched a facial recognition technology trial at GraPARI Graha Merah Putih — a telco based in Jakarta.

Conducted in collaboration with mobile operator Telkomsel, the initiative aims to step up the security of mobile service registration by integrating biometric data and advanced liveness detection.

During the trial, Komdigi officers demonstrated how new customers could be registered using biometrics linked to Indonesia’s national population database. The approach is seen as offering rapid and accurate identity verification while addressing long-standing concerns around digital identity fraud in the sector.

It’s a solution that fellow Southeast Asian country Thailand has implemented, with biometrics seen as a way to tackle rising fraud and scam schemes associated with SIM registration. The trial in Indonesia responds to similar concerns — rising cases of mobile-related scams and illegal double registrations using NIK data and KK numbers — and commences a phased rollout.

Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, Director General of Digital Ecosystems at the Ministry of Communications, mentioned that biometric registration underlines a commitment to customer safety alongside strengthening security. A central feature of the trial is ISO 30107-compliant liveness detection to confirm registrants are real, living individuals rather than static images, deepfakes or video recordings.

By verifying the authenticity of users in real time, the system helps prevent identity manipulation and unauthorized access. The collaboration between Komdigi and Telkomsel is part of Indonesia’s broader strategy to modernize public services through secure digital technologies.

It also marks an important step toward developing a nationwide biometric-based registration system for telecommunications, one that could significantly reduce the risk of data misuse and improve customer experience.

“Telkomsel supports government policies in implementing biometric-based registration to improve customer digital identity security,” said Telkomsel Sales Director Stanislaus Susatyo, in an official statement.

If successful, the model could be scaled across the country. Telkomsel said the measure is part of its commitment to KYC.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  Indonesia  |  Komdigi  |  SIM card registration  |  telecom