- Transportation and its security breaches
- Operator Registration, an area of opportunity
- Digital Identity Solutions
- Money laundering, another red flag
- Joint challenges: transportation and government
Security in transportation, not only private, such as digital applications, public and service transportation, can be just as vulnerable to crime and malpractices derived from corruption.
Crime in transportation is a challenge that the government has not been able to complete despite efforts to legislate on security and attempt to create the Registry of Public and Private Transportation Operators that seeks to have all operators enter their data into the register.
Registry of Operators, an area of opportunity
Given the need to create a registry, the Government of Mexico City released in July 2019 through the Digital Agency for Public Innovation, the Registry of Public and Private Transport Operators in which both drivers of cab service -public or on-site- and route units -collective, corridors and metropolitan- must enter their data to the base provided by the government.
The requirements that Mexico City is requesting from the operators consist of entering the license plate number of each unit and serial number for route units; full name and the Unique Population Registry Code (CURP) per driver.
Although this measure has good intentions, it unfortunately falls short due to the lack of effective validation processes and is expected to be useless in a short period of time. Including biometric validation processes in accordance with the security standards implemented in many countries around the world could make a big difference.
Digital identity solutions
The current situation demands that both operators and users verify their data through secure processes to access purchases or services that generate mutual trust between those who request and those who provide them.
Given the risks faced by this industry, crime, money laundering and data theft, it is essential to implement digital identity solutions as part of their prevention measures, from a business model such as transport apps to logistics services for product delivery.
The digital identity solutions offered by ReconoSer ID, include among others, biometric validation, proof of life, validation of driver’s license, circulation card, federal license, license plates, fines and vehicle registration with information that is validated against national and international databases to check the background of people and vehicles, with success stories in Colombia, and certified measures with the highest security standards.
Money laundering, another red flag
Fintechs have become the target of digital crime, which seeks to penetrate their systems by taking advantage of any flaw to compromise their information, but something that is really worrying is money laundering.
By operating resources electronically, transportation apps are supervised by the prevention regime of the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Program, better known by its acronym PLD/FT.
Undoubtedly, fleets of cars from transportation apps or public cabs have been one of the favorite ways for criminals to launder a few thousand dollars, more effective processes at the time of authenticating data would undoubtedly yield very valuable information for bank intelligence units specialized in tracking these crimes.
Another modality used by drivers is to make ‘phantom trips’ to achieve the productivity bonuses that transport companies offer to their driver partners.
The challenge, the accurate validation
There is no doubt the government’s effort to regulate transportation systems and offer users better security conditions, but there are gaps that remain open, and criminals take advantage of them.
The challenge is to properly authenticate both units and operators, starting with the implementation of advanced biometric processes that are up to the level of security measures accepted in the world.
There is no point in entering basic documentation without validation and without biometric information that allows the systems to correctly authenticate the people who operate and request services in an error-proof manner.
It is necessary to bet on the long term, to collect important and specific information from the population, through systems that offer extra authentication measures that allow both operators and the companies that hire them to verify the information provided.
Justice systems also benefit from these digital identity solutions, a joint effort between authorities and private initiative will allow law enforcement to identify criminals and prosecute them properly.
By Alfredo Gutiérrez Bayardi
Bibliography
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