A recent visit to India by the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resulted in him lauding the Aadhaar ID Card system as a colossal achievement and that it could be used as an example by Britain in its own planned digital identity programme, which is known as the Brit Card, which has prompted diversity of views.
During his visit to Mumbai (lasting two days), Starmer also visited major players, including Infosys co-founder and UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani. He added that such a system of digital ID as the one in India can be implemented in the United Kingdom as a voluntary measure, which could be applied to school applications, mortgages and driving licences.
Almost 15 years ago, the Aadhaar system was launched in India among a population of 1.4 billion people in the country. Whereas Aadhaar is gathering biometric data to offer welfare and services, the Brit Card is designed to reduce illegal migration though it is facing resistance due to privacy concerns.
What Is UK’s Digital ID Scheme?
In the previous month, Starmer announced the introduction of digital identity cards to be required to work in the country as one of the measures aimed at combating illegal migration. As per the BBC, digital IDs will be a compulsory approach to establishing the right to work in the UK by the end of the current term of parliament, likely to be completed by the latest by 2029.
The proposal is made in the backdrop of long-term struggle that Britain has been facing with irregular migration. In recent years thousands of individuals tried to cross the country by catching small boats through the Channel the thin piece of sea between southern England and northern France.
Starmer also told reporters in Mumbai that he wished digital IDs, which have since dropped in popularity following his announcement, to win the willingness of the people due to the convenience they would offer, reported The Guardian. “I cannot tell you, said the rest of you, how many times you have been forced to go into the bottom drawer and find three bills before you could get your kids into school or make applications to this or that or applications to that, and that frustrates me,” he said.
UK taking the Aadhaar route?
Despite the controversies involving the Aadhaar system that have been experienced concerning data protection and outreach of the services, the Aadhaar system is said to have been a success because it is thought to have saved the Indian economy crores of administration and corruption costs. Therefore, according to Starmer, the experience of India will provide good lessons to the UK in its quest to establish its own digital ID system.
Nonetheless, it has been feared that the Brit Card may have too close a resemblance to the Aadhaar. Nevertheless, the government sources informed The Guardian that the system was not to be copied but to look into the frequency of its use and implementation, which was 80 million transactions per day.
The official of the UK government stated that UK digital ID will not have biometric information and will be more concerned with inclusivity and data protection. This system should be employment-based and therefore, should be geared towards discouraging illegal working.
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