MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The Mexican agency in charge of public information access and data protection on Tuesday said it would launch a Supreme Court challenge against recent changes to the fiscal code, which critics say aim to commercialize taxpayers’ biometric data.
Six commissioners from the autonomous institute known as INAI voted unanimously to file a complaint with Mexico’s Supreme Court, arguing the changes to the tax code were unconstitutional, according to a transcript of the session.
One INAI commissioner was absent.
This month, the federal government enacted reforms to Mexico’s tax code including changes to how taxpayer data can be collected that open the door for the SAT tax authority to sell electronic signature services using its vast biometric database.
Such data could be used to help prevent identity theft and aid institutions such as bank verify clients.
But critics question using such data without taxpayers’ consent, given that they have no choice but to provide it.
The SAT’s database includes more than 100 million fingerprints, 20 million iris images and 15 million facial identifiers.
“The SAT will not expose at any time any personal data provided by the citizen,” said the proposal for the reform, sent by the Mexican president’s office to Congress in September.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
