The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia has proposed establishing a regional segment of a unified biometric system in Moscow. The draft document outlining this proposal was published on the official portal with the aim of preparing regulatory acts. The proposal signals a careful, top‑down approach to expanding biometric infrastructure while maintaining alignment with the country’s broader digital governance framework. The emphasis is on integrating the regional segment into existing security, privacy, and data management standards that govern the unified biometric system, ensuring consistency with nationwide policy while allowing regional adaptation.
The ministry clarified that the regional segment would be a component of the unified biometric system and could be created at the initiative of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The project keeps the same stringent security requirements that apply to the national system, reinforcing the principle that regional extensions must meet the same protections for data integrity, confidentiality, and user control. In practical terms, this means that regional implementations would be subject to established safeguards, including access controls, auditability, and robust data handling procedures designed to prevent unauthorized use of biometric information.
The ministry says the regional segment is intended to accelerate the development of regional services that leverage biometrics while ensuring the system remains flexible enough to support the unique goals and administrative needs of a given region. This approach envisions a layered deployment where local authorities can tailor service offerings and workflows to local contexts, while maintaining a unified core that preserves interoperability, traceability, and consistent user experience across the federation.
According to the project authors, the operator of the regional section could be a local government body or a state institution affiliated with it. The ministry noted that the catalog of services that will use biometric data, along with the specifics of how biometrics will be used, can be refined after public discussion and stakeholder consultation. This emphasis on public engagement signals a commitment to transparency and iterative policy development that responds to citizen needs and practical considerations observed during initial deployment phases.
Under the bill, biometric data could be recorded in the regional segment through the city application or via the State Services Biometrics mobile application. Recording would be permissible only with the user’s consent, and the use of biometrics to access services would remain optional. Citizens would retain the ability to delete their biometric data at any time, reinforcing user sovereignty over personal information and aligning with contemporary privacy expectations. The ministry also noted that consent mechanisms would be designed to be clear, accessible, and verifiable, ensuring that individuals understand how their data will be used and what choices they have at each step of interaction with biometric services.
In a prior clarification, the Ministry of Digital Development refuted claims that the Government Services portal collects and stores biometrics beyond what is necessary for service provision. This clarification underscores ongoing concerns about data minimization, purpose limitation, and the protection of sensitive information, while also reassuring users that biometric data handling remains tightly scoped to defined service contexts and governed by strict regulatory controls.