An article came out today on Buzzfeed about the Aadhar ID system in India. I’ve been following Aadhar’s development for some time, and am happy to see some skepticism come out around it. There’s no doubt the system, which aims to register every Indian person onto a centralized government database, is noble in its intentions. The government realizes that by registering everyone it can better provide for its citizens. It will forecast more accurately, reduce waste, and keep a closer eye on nefarious people. But there’s also the concern that this is a massive government sponsored surveillance scheme, which is likely to be hacked at some time.
As someone who works in fintech, and knows firsthand the benefits of having a record of identity on someone, I do think Aadhar is a powerful tool for empowering people. However, the skeptic in me hates the idea that this will be available to government agencies, and the people sitting in them, for whatever use they decide.
Perhaps read the article and decide for yourself.