Sunday, October 2, 2011

India: eye-scans and numeric IDs to connect the poor to growth resources

In India, a new national identity system is under way that uses iris-scanning technology and the assignment of a unique 12-digit number for each person as proof of existence.

He can use the number, along with a thumbprint, to identify himself anywhere in the country. It will allow him to gain access to welfare benefits, open a bank account or get a cellphone far from his home village, something that is still impossible for many people in India.

Read more: With National Database, India Tries to Reach the Poor (NYT).

Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times. A migrant farm worker peers into an iris scanner in New Delhi in the first effort to officially record each Indian's identity as an individual.

(thanks, coolfrooddude)


View the original article here


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