According to new reports, the Colombian National Registry Office is increasing pilot tests of facial biometric authentication in different banking entities within the country.

As outlined by El País, the biometric authentication allows individuals to authenticate themselves through a computer or smartphone device.

The importance of biometrics

“Before, what happened, for example, is that there was a lot of identity theft; someone could easily open an account with a photocopy of an ID or request a loan with a bank or a telephone line. However, with biometric authentication, the impersonation or usurpation of identity is avoided,” said Delegated Registrar, Didier Chilito Velasco.

The report says that the authentication is to ensure that Colombian citizens’ data can only be used by them and that digital services will be protected.

“We all have features that do not change, such as our footprints, skull, face – all of these have unique specific measurements, so using techniques and technologies that allow the metrics of these characteristics to be measured means it is possible to fully identify a person. That is what the Registry does to guarantee the issuance of documents and to authenticate people in financial entities through fingerprint biometrics and facial biometrics,” added Velasco.

The pilot tests

According to the report, so far almost two million Colombians have processed the digital ID and it is estimated that, by the end of 2023, more than ten million will have transitioned to using the digital format.

Additionally, Colombians residing in the US can process this new document at the Colombian consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Houston.