RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is set to introduce mandatory biometric registration for mobile phone users beginning July 1, 2026, marking a significant step in strengthening national digital security. The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) confirmed the policy after a five‑month trial showed positive public response.

Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) lawmaker Yudha Novanza Utama welcomed the move, describing it as a concrete measure to protect citizens in the digital space.

“This initiative reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding the public. Technological progress must be matched with stronger identity security systems,” he said in Jakarta on Monday, May 1, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Yudha explained that facial recognition verification will help curb the use of fake identities, misuse of mobile numbers, and various forms of cybercrime such as online fraud, phishing, spam calls, and OTP abuse. He noted that many digital crimes exploit weaknesses in identity validation, making stronger verification essential.

Phishing, derived from “fishing,” is a technique designed to trick victims into voluntarily sharing sensitive data such as passwords, PINs, or one‑time passcodes (OTP). OTPs are short‑lived security codes, typically four to six digits, sent via SMS, email, or authentication apps.

He stressed that cyber threats are increasingly real and directly affect society, underscoring the need for the state to continuously reinforce digital safeguards. “With stronger verification systems, Indonesia’s digital space will become safer and identity misuse can be reduced,” Yudha said.

At the same time, he emphasized that implementation must respect personal data protection and maintain transparency. Public trust, he added, is crucial to the success of national digital transformation. “The government must ensure data governance is secure, accountable, and transparent so that people trust the system,” he said.

Komdigi Ministry’s Director General of Digital Ecosystems, Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, confirmed that biometric SIM registration will be fully enforced nationwide from July 1, 2026, with no further grace period. “New registrations using biometric verification will be fully effective. There will be no leniency after July 1,” Edwin stated in Jakarta recently. ***