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South Africa proposes fingerprint checks for every SIM card

30 October 2026

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published draft rules requiring mobile operators to verify the biometric data, such as a fingerprint, of every subscriber. The check would apply to new and existing customers when a number is activated or reactivated and before any SIM swap, and each operator could assign no more than five numbers to one person. ICASA adopted biometric registration in 2023 but never brought it into force; it says most operators check biometrics only for contract customers, while prepaid SIMs dominate. Universal checks would make SIM-swap fraud, used to steal banking passwords, harder, but operators must build them into prepaid sales and respect data-protection law. Comments close 30 days after publication.

Business & Technology · Tags: South Africa, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa

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