beritabernas.com – Muhammad Bima Januri, Deputy Executive Director of Technology & Infrastructure at Rembug Digital Indonesia, said the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) failed to explain the core reasons behind the government’s plan to require facial verification for SIM card purchases in 2026.
As a result, the plan has sparked public unrest and heated debate. Although the policy is presented as a cybersecurity measure, it could fail if the government does not improve how it communicates with citizens.
“Our public is too often presented with ‘sudden mandatory’ rules without a strong narrative. Komdigi failed to explain the why. Why is this important for digital wallet security? Why will it reduce fraud against the elderly? Without that explanation, people only see the hassle, not the benefit,” Bima said in a written statement to beritabernas.com on Monday, January 26, 2026.
Without clear urgency, he said the public tends to compare this policy to previous digital regulations that were seen as flawed or poorly executed.
Comfort versus security challenge
Bima also highlighted user comfort. In technology, security and comfort often move in opposite directions. For a SIM policy affecting millions, the process must be as simple as possible to avoid causing public anxiety.
“The technical challenge is balancing security with convenience. Don’t make it hard for people with poor lighting or low-end phone cameras. The government must ensure the backend infrastructure is ready and inclusive,” he said.
Regarding data leakage concerns, Bima suggested a strict technical approach.
“People need guarantees. One solution is to prohibit mobile operators from storing raw facial data. Only verification tokens should be kept. That way, if an operator is hacked, citizens’ biometric data remains protected,” he said. (*/phj)