Some frequently asked questions answered on "Aadhaar" (Times of India)
What is Aadhaar?
A tool for social empowerment and inclusion, Aadhaar is a 12-digit number being issued to all residents by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This number is stored in a central database and linked to some basic demographics and biometric information -- photo, 10 fingerprints and iris -- of each individual.
Related thoughts:
Doesn't the concern about identity theft among rich country citizens prove the value of a legitimate identity?
If your identity is so valuable to you that you worry about it being stolen, why would you deny one to a poor person?
Biometric ID management techniques remind me of cell phones in Africa; they allow countries to skip a rung on the development ladder. They can be used among populations where some of prerequisites (especially very high literacy rates) that were necessary to develop effective ID management regimes in the developed countries are, for now, missing.
