India’s digital ID system to track ‘financial activities,’ include vaccine passport
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While there are many benefits to Digital Public Infrastructure, such as the seamless sharing of credentials and records and fast payments, these digital systems can just as easily exclude people from participating in basic aspects of society.
(The Sociable) — One of India’s digital identity architects tells the Sri Lanka DPI Summit that Digital Public Infrastructure allows governments to track individual finances and is good for vaccine passports.
By now, you’ve probably heard of a digital wallet, but that concept is being expanded to a digital locker that can store even more personal information for public and private entities to access.
Giving the keynote address at the Sri Lanka DPI [Digital Public Infrastructure] Summit Wednesday, Aadhaar founder CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni touted India’s “DigiLocker” as an example for other nations to follow.
DPI consists of three components:
- Digital identity
- Fast payment systems
- Massive data exchanges
In India, records and credentials are now being stored in a digital locker.
With the DigiLocker, there have been “5.2 billion digitally verified records in India. One hundred and fifty million people are using these lockers,” said Nadhamuni while listing the various types of records that were stored in these digital lockers.
These records and credentials included digital ID cards, educational records, caste certificates, and vaccine passports, the latter of which Nadhamuni said were “super important”:
COVID-19, India did some 2 billion COVID vaccinations, and you had to just carry your digital certificate to the plane. Often they’d look at your QR code and say you’re good, but if they actually verified it, they’d see that it had been signed by the government of India. It can’t be a fake certificate. Super important.
India’s Digital ID Aadhaar founder Srikanth Nadhamuni at Sri Lanka DPI Summit: “COVID-19, India did some 2 Billion COVID vaccinations & you had to just carry your digital certificate to the plane. Often they’d look at your QR code & say you’re good” pic.twitter.com/6jn5AGy0PR
— Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) February 5, 2025