Putin obliged businesses to transfer biometric data of Russians to the state

President Vladimir Putin signed a law that obliges business representatives to transfer to the state the biometric data of Russians, in particular voice samples and facial images. This is reported on the legal information portal.

Now biometrics must be stored only in the state Unified Biometric System (UBS), created back in 2018. Private companies that collected such data before the law was passed are required to hand it over to the government “without obtaining the consent” of customers. However, companies must still notify owners of the upcoming transfer of their data, and they may refuse to replenish the EBS.

“The process of transforming the state into a super-regulator in the field of biometrics has been going on in Russia for several years, and the new law is an important stage in this process,” says the Roskomsvoboda lawyer.

The author of the bill, deputy Vadim Gorelkin, emphasizes that the law prohibits “the forced collection of biometrics and any discrimination against those who refused to submit it.” The law also allows a citizen to request that their biometric data be deleted.