Brazil mandates face biometrics for SIM registration from 2027

Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel has made facial biometric verification with Level 2 liveness detection mandatory for mobile registration, covering more than 280 million subscriptions. New prepaid activations must comply by September 2027, and unverified accounts face suspension from January 2029 and deactivation after May 2029. The rule ties access to basic communications to a biometric identity check, part of a growing global pattern of linking identity to participation in everyday systems.