Mandatory ID registration on mobile lines in Mexico before June 30: The role of Zcash in México

[palmar]

What’s Happening in Mexico Right Now?

Since January 9, 2026, Mexico has enforced the mandatory registration of all mobile phone lines (both prepaid and postpaid, physical SIMs and eSIMs). Users have until June 30, 2026 to link their phone number to their official identity (CURP + INE voter ID or passport). Anyone who fails to do so will have their line suspended (emergency calls only).

This measure, promoted as a way to combat extortion and fraud, effectively eliminates the anonymity previously offered by prepaid numbers, a tool widely used to protect privacy.

What exactly does the regulation require?

• Every phone line must be linked to a physical person (maximum 10 lines per person) or a legal entity. Parents are required to register the lines of their underage children.

• Required documents: Users must link their number to a government-issued photo ID along with their CURP (Unique Population Registry Code) and Voter ID Card (INE) or passport.

• Telecom companies are required to verify the user’s identity by consulting official government databases.

The government has also launched the website “RegistratuLinea” (Register Your Phone Line), where they provide tutorials and answers to frequently asked questions. I’ll share and translate some of them so you can get a clearer picture of the situation:

FAQ 3:

Q: What happens if I don’t register my line?
A: Your line will be canceled. You will no longer be able to access any services linked to that number.

FAQ 4:

Q: Will you take away my number if I don’t register it?
A: If you don’t register your line before June 30, your service will be suspended starting July 1. Once you complete the registration, you will be able to restore service.

Privacy Implications

Mexico has 133 million inhabitants, making it the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, the second most populous in Latin America (after Brazil), and the 11th most populous globally. At the same time, there are approximately 144 million active phone lines in the country, of which only 59 million have been registered so far. If this trend continues, by the June 30 deadline (in just 10 days), around 85 million lines could be deactivated, leaving millions of users without communication and without mobile internet access.

It’s important to remember that Mexico has high-risk areas due to drug trafficking activity, as well as a high rate of assassinations and kidnappings of journalists and politicians. In this context, privacy tools are not just important, they can be vital for people handling sensitive information. Signal is one of the best privacy-focused messaging apps, yet it still requires a phone number for registration.

Some of the main problems with this measure include:

• It creates a massive database linking phone numbers directly to real identities.

• It makes surveillance easier: any authority with access can track communications much more effectively.

• It increases the risk of data breaches (Mexico has suffered serious telecom incidents in the past).

• It creates a “chilling effect,” discouraging the use of disposable (“burner”) numbers for sensitive activities such as activism, journalism, or private transactions.

• Organizations like R3D (Network in Defense of Digital Rights) have strongly criticized the lack of sufficient safeguards against abuse.

While the government argues that this measure will help combat extortion and fraud, R3D has published an article stating that:

“The registration has been promoted as a tool to fight crimes such as extortion and virtual kidnapping. However, the GSMA — a global consortium of major mobile operators — has stated that there is no evidence that mandatory SIM registration actually reduces these crimes. On the contrary, such measures can have the opposite effect, increasing crimes like cellphone theft, SIM cloning, and smuggling. Additionally, it is estimated that 90% of phone extortions are carried out through VoIP services and other techniques that bypass SIM registration entirely.”

The Role of Zcash in Mexico

As many of you know, in November 2024 I founded the Zcash Querétaro Club – Mexico with the support of Zcash en Español. The goal has always been to put privacy-preserving tools — especially Zcash — into the hands of as many people as possible. Our activities are not just social meetups (although we do enjoy those too); they have a strong educational focus. We work with people who have little to no previous experience with cryptocurrencies, teaching them how to use a wallet and send and receive shielded transactions.

I’ve realized that while people do care about privacy, they are often not fully aware of how important it really is. That has been my biggest takeaway. That’s why at the Zcash Querétaro Club we always watch documentaries about the history of money and real-world events that help open people’s minds and make them understand why privacy matters. I was surprised to learn that none of the members had heard about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

All club members have downloaded Signal, and we have an active group there for discussions and questions. I’ve also encouraged them to use ProtonMail and other privacy tools. The work is challenging when starting from zero, but it’s necessary. Zcash has had a profound impact on my life and has supported me through difficult times. I don’t just believe in the mission, I feel personally committed to advancing it.

The recent events forcing all residents to link their real identity to their phone line against their will have only strengthened my resolve to scale this mission here in Mexico. I want to bring Zcash to the media not as “the cryptocurrency of the moment” or “Bitcoin’s successor,” but as a vital tool for preserving privacy and staying safe. I hope to share more soon about some projects that are currently in development.

I don’t know what will happen on July 1. Maybe I’ll wake up with my mobile line deactivated, or maybe the government will realize the danger of this mass registration and back down before cutting off 85 million lines.

What is certain is that this situation proves Zcash is on the right path and that Mexico needs it now more than ever. The Zcash Querétaro Club is becoming a space for education, awareness, and empowerment, a place where citizens can recognize the value of their rights and better understand the bigger picture.

Thank you to all the Zcachers. You can follow the club’s X account, and thank you for supporting the mission.

I’ve created this address for those who want to support or simply leave a private message of support.

[palmar]

Update:

Yesterday it was announced that the Mexican government has granted an extension for the mandatory registration of phone lines in the country. The measure has not been canceled; citizens are simply being given more time to comply.

I’ll share some quotes from Javier Ruiz, founder of SILIKN, a Mexican cybersecurity company, and Coordinator of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee at COPARMEX Querétaro:

The Federal Telecommunications Commission confirmed this week what many analysts had already anticipated: the mandatory registration of cell phone lines in Mexico could not meet its original deadline. The general cutoff date of June 30 has been replaced by a staggered extension, with new deadlines running from August to December 2026, depending on the last digit of each user’s phone number.

Users whose number ends in zero must register their line before August 15; those ending in nine will have until December 31. Anyone who fails to register by their assigned date will have their service suspended within the following 72 hours. They will only be able to make calls to emergency numbers, citizen service centers, their own carrier (to complete late registration), and to receive earthquake alerts.

Source.

To support its analysis, the company reviewed data from the 2024 National Survey on the Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households (ENDUTIH), conducted by INEGI. The figures show that 81.7% of the population aged six and older uses a cell phone, and that 79.9% of those users operate under a prepaid plan.

SILIKN noted that these numbers are particularly relevant because the registration requirement will mainly affect people who top up their credit periodically, many of whom belong to lower-income sectors. The firm pointed out that the average monthly spend on prepaid plans is 161.8 pesos, compared to 447.5 pesos for postpaid users.

It also highlighted that 97.2% of internet users access the web through a smartphone, meaning the cell phone has become the primary connectivity tool for millions of Mexicans.

Source.

[Sewa]

Thank you for bringing this to the community’s attention, @Palmar. I had not really thought deeply about privacy in this context before, and your post made me stop and think about what it means to be required to link your identity to something as essential as communication. I may still have questions and want to understand the issue better, but I appreciate you bringing a perspective from Mexico into this conversation. These are exactly the kinds of discussions that help us learn from one another.

[Sewa]

Quick update as I continue learning about this: More than 84.8 million mobile lines in Mexico have now been registered, about 70%. Suspensions are continuing, and so far I haven’t found a nationwide court ruling stopping the program.

The big question for me is whether this actually reduces extortion and fraud, and what privacy or security risks emerge.

Palmar, what are you seeing on the ground? Is your line still active? What about people around you?

[palmar]

Thank you, Sewa.

When I published this article here, the deadline to register cell phone lines was June 29. That date was postponed because registration was very low — meaning most of the population did not register their lines before June 29. So the government decided to segment the registration according to the last digit of each user’s number. This way, numbers ending in 0 have one deadline to register, numbers ending in 1 have another, and so on with 2, 3, etc. That process has already started, and I personally know three people whose phone lines have been suspended because they chose not to register.

This is a problem because these people can no longer have mobile data to connect to the internet on the street. They also cannot receive certain verification codes that are sent to phone numbers (Signal, for example, sends a code to verify the number). Therefore, all of this represents a very serious problem.

Applying the suspensions of phone lines according to the last digit of the phone number is a way to move forward with the plan without causing a major impact, such as suspending all unregistered lines in the country at once. Given that people need internet or their phone line to work, I believe this has been the reason why many have chosen to register in recent weeks. However, the real sentiment, without coercion, was the response on June 29, when registration numbers were still very low.

The measure is not voluntary; it is an “either you register or you are left without communication.” It is a forced act. In the case of Zcash, self-custody allows us to protect ourselves from this type of coercion because no one can stop us from sending or receiving money. But with phone lines we cannot do the same, because, as we can see, they have the power to give us and take away the service if we do not do what they say, whether it suits us or not.

Regarding the issue of extortion: I have read a lot about the topic, and organizations dedicated to digital rights conclude that this measure being implemented in Mexico does not help reduce extortion; rather, it may help increase robberies and other crimes.

[zancas]

What can be done?

Do we have any known workarounds, or steps that can be taken to help protect Users’ access to safe cell-phone communication.

Obviously registered communication is serious degradation of User security.