Digital Identity in India

We describe India's ten-year experience with establishing a digital identity in India. Remarkably, 1.25 billion residents in India now have a digital identity, called Aadhaar, which is a 12-digit random number that is linked to each individual's biometrics. We discuss the technology, the infrastructure requirements, the costs, the benefits, the political tradeoffs, and the debates this rollout ensued related to financial inclusion and exclusion, and the evolution of data and privacy threats and laws to protect these. We also discuss some survey evidence on the impact of Aadhaar as well as some academic empirical studies. Identity protocols that are alternatives to Aadhaar are also discussed. Regulators in other countries considering developing digital identity architecture will benefit from India's experience.