Colombia backs biometrics for passports

Colombia’s Constitutional Court approved the use of fingerprints and photographs to issue passports, ruling that the requirement does not violate the right to privacy or habeas data. At the same time, the Colombian government issued a decree setting the groundwork for regulating minors on social networks, just days before a bill was introduced to ban minors from those platforms.

What did the Court decide on passports?

The Court said there is no less intrusive method that works as effectively to confirm a citizen’s identity, so the use of biometric data in passport issuance was upheld. The decision, reported by El Colombiano, covers fingerprints and photographs as part of the process.

That ruling leaves in place an identification requirement that, according to the high court, does not conflict with constitutional protections for personal data. The decision comes as Colombia continues to debate identity verification and the handling of sensitive information in government procedures.

What did the decree on minors and social networks establish?

The Colombian government’s recent decree requires an assessment of how algorithms affect children and teenagers, parental controls, and age verification mechanisms. Caracol Radio reported that the rule was issued just days before the bill seeking to ban social networks for minors was presented.

Public debate quickly shifted from that decree to a tougher legislative proposal focused on limiting minors’ access to digital platforms and social networks. According to Caracol Radio’s coverage, expert voices questioned the effectiveness of an outright ban and pointed to the limits of that kind of regulation.

How does the SIC fit into this framework?

The Superintendency of Industry and Commerce remains the main authority overseeing misuse of personal data and receiving habeas data complaints in Colombia. Proactivanet notes that the SIC retains sanctioning powers and can impose fines of up to thousands of legal monthly minimum wages for violations of the data protection regime.

That role also appears in analyses of data security incidents in the country, which note that people affected by mass breaches can turn to the SIC to file complaints over misuse of their information. Mucho Hacker links that framework to cases that affected millions of citizens and reinforces the agency’s role as a central compliance authority.

The combination of biometric passports, rules for minors on social networks, and SIC oversight leaves Colombia facing a more active data protection and compliance front, shaped by court decisions, recent decrees, and a legislative initiative still under review.