Is the biometric CURP now an official identity document? This is what we know after its approval in the Senate.

The Senate's joint committees on Government and Legislative Studies approved the ruling that the biometric Unique Population Registry Code (CURP) will become an official identification document .

This measure is expected to provide another way to identify yourself for various procedures. Otherwise, authorities could impose fines of up to 20,000 Units of Measurement and Update (UMAs) on those entities that accept the new document.

However, the bill was criticized by the opposition, which said on Thursday, June 26, that this measure would allow authorities to "spy on citizens," as Ricardo Anaya, the coordinator of the PAN party in the Senate, denounced.

"They're trying to give the federal government the ability to type in your CURP and have access to information about any Mexican," Anaya said.

Meanwhile, Morena and its allies assure that this measure will help with the search for missing persons .

Given the senators' opinions on the issue, here's what you should know about the biometric CURP:

The answer is no . While the initiative was approved by the Senate committees, it still needs to be discussed and voted on in the full Senate .

The initiative, which is opposed by parties such as the PAN and PRI and supported by Morena and its allies, is expected to be voted on in the plenary session this Friday, June 27.

Once approved, it may still be subject to discussion in the Chamber of Deputies before biometric CURP identification can be officially established.

This is a new document in which, using the digits of your current CURP, authorities can access your biometric data .

This access will be through a Single Identity Platform , which will be available three months after the initiative is approved.

The biometric CURP will collect data such as fingerprints, signatures, and iris scans , information that will benefit agencies such as the National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons, the National Forensic Data Bank, and Administrative Records, among others.

The opposition accuses the biometric CURP of posing risks to the population , and according to Ricardo Anaya, this measure will allow the government to access your photo, fingerprints, and even more specific data such as your Amazon purchases .

"If you stayed in a hotel, and which hotel it was, your real-time geolocation, what time did you leave home? Where were you going? What time did you leave work? Who were you meeting with? What you're doing is creating a tool for mass surveillance ," the PAN legislator claimed.

The Network in Defense of Digital Rights said the fact that authorities consider the digital CURP (National Identity Document) as the "sole source of identity for individuals" is "worrying" because it facilitates mass surveillance by the State.

Furthermore, "conditioning access to public and private services on biometric identification or authentication carries serious risks of discrimination and exclusion , with potentially catastrophic effects on the exercise of human rights," the organization said.