Identifying migrants: The case of digital biometric identity in India

• In Event: Mobilizing Identities, Digital and Otherwise

Abstract

When Aadhaar, one of the world’s largest digital identity infrastructures, was rolled out in India, its proponents claimed that unlike other ID systems, it would make provisions to people without any prior identity proof, including populations such as the homeless, slum dwellers, and migrant labourers. This was to be done through the ‘introducer system’ (introducer to be appointed by the Registrar) for those who did not have any other ID. However, in reality, migration and lack of address proof have been identified as among the biggest challenges in acquiring an Aadhaar number. Migrant labourers often lack these prerequisites (such as a fixed mobile phone number and address proof). This paper focuses on the migrant/local continuum of identity to explore legibility from the state and the migrant’s positions. To what extent has making migrants legible been a concern for the state and how digital ID systems have been leveraged to that end. At the other end, in what circumstances do migrant workers choose to be legible to the state and how do digital ID systems, such as Aadhaar, affect that choice? In addressing these questions, I look at identity as a sociotechnical category to understand the intertwined relationship between identity, politics and technology.

Author

• Bidisha Chaudhuri, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore