4 ms·

I think our HN conspiracy theorists have missed the point by a bit. Lets just put it this way, India still has a ton of illiterate people. The only way that the

by ashray 14y ago

I think our HN conspiracy theorists have missed the point by a bit. Lets just put it this way, India still has a ton of illiterate people. The only way that they can usually sign documents/enter into contracts is by placing their (inked) fingerprints on documents. There is no unified ID system in India so far. There is no unique ID card that each citizen can carry. This is a 21st century solution to a problem that has existed for a long time. You know how you open a bank account in India ? - Walk into the bank - Fill up a form - Provide a photograph - Provide a proof of ID (voter's ID, passport, etc.) - Provide a proof of address (this can be a voter's ID, utility bill, etc. - has to be different from the one above..) Here's where stuff starts to get real interesting. You can't get a voter's ID without a proof of address (that can be a bank statement, utility bill, etc.) - the same contraints apply to the others. So you can't get a proof of address without a proof of address. See where this is going ? (or isn't :P) The lack of a unified ID system in India is a massive problem. An Iris Scan + Fingerprints are the only way to really ensure that a person is who they are supposed to be. (many burn victims do not have fingerprints, many blind people may not have irises) Personally, I welcome the opportunity to be able to open a bank account/do other administrative shit with just one ID card. I've had enough with all the extra nonsensical documentation that every establishment requires. I certainly see the privacy/trackability downside to it. But lets be honest. I've been to the US and Europe. Their respective governments have my fingerprints/iris scans (needed for visas), it's not really a big deal if the Indian government has them too. The global tracking of populations ship has already sailed. India's just getting on the bandwagon as far as that is concerned.

wisty 14y ago
Also, remember the society of dead people? People who were declared legally dead (often by relatives) and were unable to prove their existence to the government?
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  For those who are curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttar_Pradesh_Association_of_Dead_People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttar_Pradesh_Association_of_De...
intended 14y ago
Wait, so a PAN card, A ration card, license, passport, voters ID card are insufficient options?. I know someone personally who got her passport soon after marrying, moving to her in laws place and having no voters id, valid passport, or any other proof of residence. It was done logically, by showIng that she was married. The person she was married to lived at x location. And finally that x location was the residence of her in laws. Further the requirements for address proof are governmental clauses. Those will never go away, even with a UID. And this is the same govt that ensures people sign their names and provide photo ID every time you use a cyber cafe, and every time you visit a hotel. The same people who said that a UID wouldn't. E compulsory to avail of govt services. Then made it compulsory if you want to get gas. Meta: I've followed this topic since inception, years ago. Since then I've found that the defenders of this service are uniform in their thinking, they all believe that the benefits are invaluable and the costs overplayed or irrelevant in the face of the gains. Edit: just because other people are doing it isn't good enough a reason to follow suit
- ashray 14y ago
  I think you missed a point there. Maybe your perspective is one of having a fixed residence for all of your life. Unfortunately, my life didn't progress that way and every time I move to a new place I have to go through the same rigmarole all over again. I can assure you that I'm not alone in this. I don't see why a UID can't pave the way for further changes in government clauses. Furthermore, I know of quite a few other countries where their ID cards help them do tons of things that in India are neigh impossible without further documentation. As for cyber cafes and hotels requiring IDs - hotels everywhere require IDs for the most part and the cyber cafe bullshit is because of idiotic govt. representatives not understanding the whole terrorism through email communications bit. I find it quite ridiculous that India doesn't have any sort of unified ID system so far. I've been traveling for the past one year and have been through several countries, almost all of which have their respective ID systems. These IDs help them open bank accounts, get credit cards, cross borders, and do much more. There is certainly a need for it in India.
  - intended 14y ago

by ashray 14y ago

wisty 14y ago

Also, remember the society of dead people? People who were declared legally dead (often by relatives) and were unable to prove their existence to the government?

chimeracoder 14y ago
For those who are curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttar_Pradesh_Association_of_Dead_People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttar_Pradesh_Association_of_De...

intended 14y ago

Wait, so a PAN card, A ration card, license, passport, voters ID card are insufficient options?. I know someone personally who got her passport soon after marrying, moving to her in laws place and having no voters id, valid passport, or any other proof of residence. It was done logically, by showIng that she was married. The person she was married to lived at x location. And finally that x location was the residence of her in laws. Further the requirements for address proof are governmental clauses. Those will never go away, even with a UID. And this is the same govt that ensures people sign their names and provide photo ID every time you use a cyber cafe, and every time you visit a hotel. The same people who said that a UID wouldn't. E compulsory to avail of govt services. Then made it compulsory if you want to get gas. Meta: I've followed this topic since inception, years ago. Since then I've found that the defenders of this service are uniform in their thinking, they all believe that the benefits are invaluable and the costs overplayed or irrelevant in the face of the gains. Edit: just because other people are doing it isn't good enough a reason to follow suit

ashray 14y ago
I think you missed a point there. Maybe your perspective is one of having a fixed residence for all of your life. Unfortunately, my life didn't progress that way and every time I move to a new place I have to go through the same rigmarole all over again. I can assure you that I'm not alone in this. I don't see why a UID can't pave the way for further changes in government clauses. Furthermore, I know of quite a few other countries where their ID cards help them do tons of things that in India are neigh impossible without further documentation. As for cyber cafes and hotels requiring IDs - hotels everywhere require IDs for the most part and the cyber cafe bullshit is because of idiotic govt. representatives not understanding the whole terrorism through email communications bit. I find it quite ridiculous that India doesn't have any sort of unified ID system so far. I've been traveling for the past one year and have been through several countries, almost all of which have their respective ID systems. These IDs help them open bank accounts, get credit cards, cross borders, and do much more. There is certainly a need for it in India.
- intended 14y ago