• Vietnam plans to collect vast amounts of biometric data from its citizens.
• It is clear that security within the system is of paramount importance.
• This development is likely to lead to a whole new wave of crime by bad actors: biocrime.
Although biometric data is increasingly used in technological security systems, retinal scans and voice recognition still bring to mind the high-tech lairs of fictional villains. Face ID doesn’t seem all that appealing when you’re trying to pay for a bus ticket with your phone.
minority report Speculate about the surveillance system in 2054. Tom Cruise is there too.
In Vietnam, citizens can now be expected to provide large amounts of biometric data to the government at the request of Prime Minister Pham Minh Trinh. Biometric data collection will begin in July this year following legal changes. national identification law It was passed in November 2023.
This amendment enables the collection of biometric data and the recording of blood type and other related information.
The Ministry of Public Security will work with other areas of government to collect data and integrate the new identification system into the national database. New identification systems use iris scans, voice recordings, and even DNA samples.
Sensitive data of Vietnamese citizens will be stored in a national database and shared across government agencies to enable Vietnamese citizens to “fulfill their duties and missions.” We are confident that there will be no problems, accidental or otherwise, with sharing highly personal data.
Regarding collection methods, the revised law stipulates as follows.
“Biological information such as DNA and voice information is voluntarily provided by citizens, institutions that carry out criminal proceedings, or institutions that manage persons to whom administrative measures are applied in the process of resolving cases, depending on their professional capacity and whether or not they have been solicited. When we evaluate or collect biometric information related to DNA, people’s voices are shared with identity management authorities to update and adjust their identity databases.”
Well, obviously.
Le Thanh Thoi, chairman of the National Defense and Security Commission, said the human iris is suitable for identification because it does not change over time and serves as the basis for authenticating identity.
Currently, ID cards are issued to citizens over the age of 14 and are not mandatory for the age group of 6 to 14, although they can be issued if necessary. Although the new ID cards look much the same, there are some changes, especially the addition of the owner’s biometric data.
These will also incorporate functionality from several other forms of identification, such as driver’s licenses, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and health and social insurance documents. All your personal information is stored in the same place…what could possibly go wrong?
Biometric data needs to be protected
The fingerprint on the ID card is replaced with a QR code linked to the owner’s biometric and identification data.
There are approximately 70 million adults in Vietnam, and collecting vast amounts of data from all of them is no mean feat. If you’re not there yet, here’s how: Security becomes paramount. Data about citizens is a major source of identity theft. We might expect to see an increase in malicious activity, such as skimming, which collects fingerprints from ATM machines.
Technology is constantly evolving, but not inevitably It is guaranteed to evolve for the better. A group of Chinese and American researchers recently outlined a new attack surface and proposed a side-channel attack against automated fingerprint recognition systems. “Finger swipe fricative sounds can be very easily captured by online attackers.”
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that Vietnamese citizens’ personal information is kept secure at all levels.
There’s also the thorny issue of government surveillance, which we rarely have to think about. Keep the tinfoil hat within easy reach.
From airport services to national ID…
