The Russian government is set to create a biometrics technology center, called the JSC Center for Biometrics Technologies (CBT). It was announced months after the Ministry of Digital Development recommended the use of biometrics to access sensitive services.
The center will develop authentication and digital identification technologies, focusing on technologies relying on biometric data, said Rostelecom, Russia’s largest telecom company, which will own 49% of CBT shares. The Bank of Russia will own 25% of the shares and the Russian Federation will own 26% of the shares.
“Rostelecom has done a great job of increasing the availability and quality of electronic services to citizens,” says Rostelecom Vice President and Director of Digital Identity Ivan Berov, as reported by Biometric Update.
“A significant role in this was played by biometric technologies. Today, they are increasingly finding application in various areas of our lives.”
CBT will play a significant role in facilitating the digitalization of multiple economic sectors in the country. The center is expected to develop platforms for signing and storing documents.
“I am sure that biometrics will give a new impetus to the development of the digital economy and the sphere of remote services,” Berov adds.
“The joint use of document signing and storage services, ESIA [the United System of Identification and Authentication] and biometrics, in turn, will become the basis of a full-fledged digital profile of a citizen.”
It will also operate the Unified Biometric System (UBS), which collects, stores, processes, and verifies personal biometric data.
