Brazil investing $8M to accelerate switch to new digital ID in remote communities

The Brazilian government has announced a financial boost, under a program dubbed PROCIN, to enable some states to expand issuance of the country’s new national digital ID (CIN). PROCIN is an acronym for the National Program for Promoting the Management and Issuance of the National Identity Card.

Launched this week by the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, the first round of the financial support initiative amounts to 44.25 million Brazilian reais (US$7.76 million), and will help issue digital IDs in difficult-to-reach communities in the states of Bahia, Amapá, Amazonas, and Maranhão. The initiative also targets vulnerable people.

The funding from the government will particularly be used to upgrade infrastructure, staffing and mobile units in order to reach more people speedily. Issuance of early copies of the card is free of charge.

The government news agency reports that the move is part of the central government’s push to increase CIN adoption, and facilitate identity verification and access to services for millions of Brazilians. Brazil is seeing a switch from the traditional RG cards to the CIN.

Brazil’s government launched the Federal Biometric Service to oversee issuance of the CIN last year.

In an announcement in Salvador, Minister of Public Service Esther Dweck said the initiative is designed to assist states to boost their ID issuance capacity, especially in remote areas, and make it easier for people who have often faced challenges in getting the service.

The government official also spoke about the security features of the digital ID which uses the CPF as a single and universal identifier, instead of multiple state-issued identification numbers for different purposes such as social protection, worker registration, social security, voter ID, and more.

Dweck said this security upgrade makes the ID ten times more secure and a crucial tool in helping the government fight identity fraud and other identity-related crimes. She also underscored the importance of the digital ID, saying it is a requirement for access to social protection benefits, as well as a good number of public and private sector services. Last year, the government introduced biometric ID verification for access to social benefits.

“All Brazilians will have to exchange their old RG for the CIN, which is the new card, [which is] ten times more secure than the old RG,” Dweck is quoted by the news agency.

The CIN can be accessed via the Gov.Br digital government mobile application which is now used by 175 million citizens. To obtain it, users must first register online, where they will pick an appointment for a physical visit to submit their biometrics.

Already, 49 million Brazilians have switched to the new digital ID, but the government is eyeing a target of around 150 million people by the end of this year. The CIN will become mandatory nationwide by 2032.

Article Topics

Brazil  |  digital ID  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  National Identity Card (CIN)