MOSCOW, April 22 (RAPSI) – Lawmakers of the Federation Council and the State Duma have introduced a bill seeking to permit individuals registering and adding to the unified biometric system their personal data by themselves, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Nikolay Zhuravlev is quoted as saying in a statement of the upper house of Russia’s parliament on Wednesday.

The persons wishing to register and add their personal data to the database may use mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, or personal computers.

According to the senator, the situation in Russia caused by the coronavirus pandemic dictates that citizens need to be provided equal access to services; therefore, it is necessary to urgently expand the number of individuals, who can be provided such services distantly. For than, Zhuravlev says, the collection of biometrics to be added to the database is to be facilitated, in particular, by allowing citizens to do it on their own.

Those wishing to register are to be empowered to give their agreement for the use of their personal information with the use of their e-signatures.

State bodies, banks and other organizations are to be allowed to use the unified biometric system in cases, where it is permitted by the federal government in agreement with the Central Bank, as well as where it follows from contracts made with the operator of this system.

The bill also envisages that state bodies, banks, and other organizations collecting and processing biometric personal data are to be empowered, on respective individuals consent, to add the said data to the system under a procedure set by the legislation.

New provisions have been developed to amend the federal law on information, information technologies and protection of information.

Currently, directions on the website of the unified biometric system read, in order to register their personal data citizens need to turn to a bank on a special list.