[Anchor]
Starting today, July 6, simply presenting an ID card is no longer sufficient to activate a mobile phone. An additional verification step, such as facial recognition, is now required. This measure is intended to prevent crimes such as the activation of illegal burner phones, but it is also raising concerns in the field.
Jeong Seong-jin reports.
[Reporter]
Customers visiting a store to activate a mobile phone are now taking photos of their faces with their devices.
[LG Uplus Employee: A facial recognition step has been added to the activation process, so I need to ask you to do this.]
While mobile phone activation used to be possible with just an ID card, starting today, customers must undergo additional identity verification through one of three methods: facial recognition, a mobile ID card, or a resident registration abstract issued on the same day.
For facial recognition, customers scan a QR code for activation, which leads to a facial authentication page. They then take a photo of their face, and the system checks if it matches the photo on the submitted ID card.
This measure is aimed at blocking illegal activations through identity theft, thereby preventing the distribution of burner phones and voice phishing crimes.
However, concerns regarding personal data leaks, which were raised during the pilot phase of facial recognition, still persist.
[Lee Chang-min / Jung-gu, Seoul: There have been many personal data leak incidents recently at companies like Coupang and TVING. (I think it should have been introduced) after measures were in place to properly secure and protect personal information.]
The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that the photos taken are immediately encrypted and destroyed after being compared with the ID card, keeping the risk of leaks low. However, the Personal Information Protection Commission and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea have pointed out that biometric information is difficult to recover if leaked, requiring strict protection.
[Yeom Heung-yeol / Professor Emeritus, Department of Information Security, Soonchunhyang University: While the possibility of (a hack) being successful is very low, biometric information cannot be changed, so the government needs to pay extra attention to security.]
Civic groups argue that the alternative method, a resident registration abstract, is effectively forcing users to choose facial recognition because it requires visiting a community service center, which lacks practical convenience.
The government plans to add and expand alternative authentication methods, taking convenience into account.
(Video reporting: Park Hyun-cheol | Video editing: Choi Hye-ran | Design: Jeon Yu-geun)
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