The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia has stated that the Gosuslugi portal does not collect or retain biometric data. This clarification came through reporting by TASS and subsequent official remarks. The agency stressed that by law banks are required to transfer any already collected biometric data of citizens to a unified biometric system known as the SBS. The official message also noted that biometric information is not stored within the Civil Service database itself. Instead, it exists within the SBS framework and may be visible to users through the portal in their personal accounts that are linked to EBS records.
Officials added that individuals may delete their biometric information after it has been transferred to the Unified Biometric System. This suggests a defined lifecycle for biometric data within the Russian federal ecosystem, with user-initiated deletion as a supported option after data migration to the SBS. The emphasis appears to be on ensuring that privacy choices are available to citizens while maintaining the regulatory requirement for banks to participate in the SBS for identity verification across services.
In related remarks, concerns were raised about remote identification via smart intercoms in apartment buildings. The Center for Biometric Technologies, which operates the UBS, stated that registration in the system is voluntary and that residents should not be compelled to share their biometric data for remote access. If residents choose not to participate, mechanisms such as magnetic keys would still provide entry to their premises. This point underscores the tension between convenience and consent in biometric deployment across residential infrastructure.
Earlier, reports described a dispute involving a resident in Bashkiria related to the use of smart intercom technology. The episode highlighted public interest in how biometric data is collected, stored, and used in everyday security systems, and it underscored ongoing debates about individual rights, security, and the responsibilities of system operators in the biometric ecosystem.