The face behind Hungary’s facial recognition system: Orbán’s family!
From 2025, the digital identification of Hungarian citizens will be based on a new biometric technology. The facial recognition system will be provided by FaceKom Ltd, a company closely linked to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz. The introduction of the system is part of the Digital Citizenship Programme and the development of the Customer Portal+ (Ügyfélportál+). These platforms aim to simplify the official administration of the population through digital means.
István Tiborcz, Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law, has recently been in the media spotlight for his controversial wealth. A recent documentary on his wealth, which we have previously reported on, details the development of his career and how his relationship with the Prime Minister may have influenced his career.
Hungary’s facial recognition system provider: FaceKom Ltd
According to 24.hu, FaceKom Ltd. is a Hungarian technology company that has been developing biometric identification solutions for several years. The company started building its own remote customer identification software in 2017, which was soon used by major banks such as OTP, Raiffeisen and UniCredit. These tools allow customers to authenticate themselves via video facial recognition, so no personal presence is required.
Shortly afterwards, FaceKom came up with its own “customer service booths”, which can perform some of the traditional banking tasks, equipped with a camera, a credit card reader and a fingerprint scanner. MBH Bank, a business owned by Lőrinc Mészáros, has purchased several of these booths.
FaceKom is currently owned by a private equity fund, the Central European Opportunity Fund, managed by Equilor Fund Management Ltd. Both the company and the fund are based at the same address in Budapest, where several companies linked to István Tiborcz are based. Tiborcz’s name is regularly mentioned in Hungarian political and business circles, particularly in connection with government contracts.
The Digital Citizenship Programme is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, headed by Antal Rogán. Within this, the state-owned company Idomsoft Plc. manages the technological developments, including the implementation of the Customer Gate+ and Digital Citizenship Programme mobile applications. According to the app’s privacy policy, FaceKom is indeed the partner responsible for remote facial recognition.
User experience, security and transparency
Suppose you want to do official business digitally in Hungary, for example, to register a change of address, do your taxes or use a government service. In that case, you are likely to be part of the face recognition technology in the near future. The Digital Citizenship Programme mobile app and CustomerGate+ will offer this functionality as standard from 2025. The goal is to make the process faster, more efficient and less paperwork-intensive, while raising important issues of data security and privacy.
Although the technology is modern and practical, the underlying business and political connections are a source of concern for many. The fact that the ownership of FaceKom is linked to István Tiborcz, who is the son-in-law of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is another example of how the state and the private sector are intertwined in Hungary. For Hungarian citizens, it is key that such systems operate with appropriate legal and technical safeguards, especially when sensitive biometric data is involved. Currently, there is little public information on how these data are stored, who has access to them, and for how long.
Read also:
- PM Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz, may take over Russian Raiffeisen with Putin’s help
- Government’s facial recognition plans cause alarm in Hungary
Come on. Act surprised! Such a successful entrepreneur, young Mr. Tiborcz.
Nothing like a bit of nepotism and cronyism to get those $$$ flowing in the right direction.
If you think the problem is that this is linked to Orban rather than the very concept of “digital citizenship,” then the biggest problem are YOU yourself.
Digital is my world … Data, facts, tech, AI … So that is why I (and all of my clients) are so religious about vendor selection, safeguards, where and how data is stored, ringfencing, access control, policies, exposure (geopolitical, conflicts of interest or otherwise), ethics, etc.
The problem here is the opacity of the tender (if there was one – I believe even the Americans are upset about how Hungary approaches this, it is not “just another EU thing”) and who is now configuring what, how and what it will be hooked up to. This IS a big deal, and needs to be taken very seriously.
Fun read: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/resource-centre/content/what-digital-citizenship-and-why-it-important
Worryingly, Mr. Rogán, who is responsible for the Digital Citizenship Programme, is sanctioned by the US:
“During his tenure as a government official, including as Minister in Charge of Orban’s Cabinet Office, Rogan has reportedly orchestrated schemes designed to control strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy. Minister Rogan has played a central role in enabling a system in Hungary that has benefitted himself and his party at the expense of the Hungarian people. Rogan’s activity is emblematic of the broader climate of impunity in Hungary where key elements of the state have been captured by oligarchs and undemocratic actors”
https://2021-2025.state.gov/sanctioning-hungarian-official-antal-rogan/
Since the election, our Politicians tried to have this sanction lifted, however the Trump administration appears to have come to the same conclusion as the Biden administration… Sanction upheld.
If you really think that state corruption and citizens biometric data security & privacy concerns are no problems at all, then the biggest real problem is YOU, yourself.