How big is India’s biometric-identity database?

India’s government in 2009 launched an ambitious program to issue biometric ID cards to every citizen. The plan survived a change of government in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected, and has seen biometric records created for over a billion people.

Advocates of the program say it will stamp out tax and benefits fraud, and allow people to prove their identity using mobile phones and tablet scanners, cutting paperwork.

What is India Stack?

India’s government is allowing private firms to use the data to develop services. It has created open programming interfaces that are freely available to developers, and allow them to verify their customers’ identities, signatures, and important documents like school records against the biometric database

Are other countries doing this?

Not really. A few countries like Estonia and Albania have biometric ID cards, but in the U.S. and Europe, privacy concerns have limited the rollout of the technology to things like passports and military IDs. Allowing businesses to access biometric information goes even a step further.

What are the benefits of India Stack?

Advocates hope the India Stack initiative will turbo-charge India’s tech sector, allowing startups to dream up new business ideas that can’t be executed in other countries. The initiative could also lower the cost of access to things like mutual funds, health insurance, and personal credit by eliminating paperwork. This would boost financial inclusion for millions of India’s poorest people, supporters of the program say.

What are the risks?

Critics worry the Indian government is creating a centralized database of information that could be exposed and abused by hackers, or used by government to keep watch on dissidents and opponents. Greater financial inclusion also comes with the risk that predatory lenders and other businesses could exploit India’s poorest citizens.

When will India Stack start?

It already has. App developers have launched products that enable job applicants to provide prospective employers proof of their education and police records through an iris scan, while businesses and startups around the country are exploring other applications in healthcare, fintech, and education. As some of the programming interfaces have only recently been made available to companies, it is still early days.