New draft legislation would grant Russian law enforcement sweeping access to people's biometric banking data

Russia’s Federal Security Service and Interior Ministry will get access to citizens’ biometric data stored on remote identification systems operated by credit organizations, according to the second reading of new legislation adopted by the State Duma on December 15. The law would require remote-identification system operators to provide access to citizens’ biometric data “to authorized government agencies.” Individual consent would not be needed.

Critics say the new legislation violates Russian legal protections, insofar as the biometric data that would be supplied to police and federal agents were initially collected for an altogether different purpose (remote access to banking services). The data in question are reportedly face scans and voice recordings.