Government scraps plan for shared biometric database of telecom users

The government has abandoned plans for a unified biometric database, known as the Biometric Identity Verification System (BIVS). This system would have allocated a distinct ID to every user and allowed telecom companies to cross-reference a customer's identity against each other's records. The change comes in the newly notified Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules, 2026 issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on August 21.

Under section 3(7) of the Telecommunications Act 2023, entities must now identify individuals providing telecommunication services using verifiable biometric identification. BIVS, introduced without reasonable justification according to the Internet Freedom Foundation, would have introduced a parallel collection of biometric data by the DoT beyond what is already collected under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

The final rules, effective immediately, detail how phone companies must verify users before issuing SIM cards, updating details, or disconnecting numbers. These rules apply to all telecom operators, including Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL, and others, and companies have three months, extendable to six, to implement the necessary systems.

For Aadhaar holders, e-KYC will be outsourced to UIDAI's authentication facility, while for non-Aadhaar users, the D-KYC mechanism will apply, requiring a live face image, electronic ID/address proof, and alternative biometric methods if live capture is impossible. Other changes include an alert mechanism informing users of new connections/SIM updates/disconnections, mandatory biometric identification before disconnection, and the requirement of biometric verification within seven days of account creation or modification.

The DoT has also created a separate system for cross-company checks, alerting telecom companies if a single user holds more than the permitted number of mobile connections in India.