It is surely the biggest Big Brother project yet conceived. India is to issue each of its 1.2 billion citizens, millions of whom live in remote villages and possess no documentary proof of existence, with cyber-age biometric identity cards. The task will be led by Nandan Nilekani, who coined the phrase "the world is flat", which became a mantra for supporters of globalisation." ... But we have the opportunity to give every Indian citizen, for the first time, a unique identity. We can transform the country." The card will include a computer chip with a fingerprint or an iris scan. It may even be tied to criminal and credit histories. With about 7 percent of Indian society registered to pay income tax, this new database will certainly aid in the government's collection of funds.
