National biometric ID programs from regimes like Kenya’s threaten to cut out\u2014or keep out\u2014millions from society.<\/p>\n
By Vivek Maru, Laura Goodwin, Aisha Khagai, and Mustafa Mahmoud<\/p>\n
Last week, the Kenyan High Court blocked the country\u2019s new digital ID initiative from moving forward in its current form. Other nations\u2019 judiciaries have taken on similar biometric ID programs\u2014the Indian Supreme Court set limits on the subcontinent\u2019s massive Aadhaar program, which has scanned the irises of over a billion people. But never before has a court halted a digital ID scheme on the grounds that it could exclude a segment of the population.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s high time. Kenya is one of many countries (including the Philippines, Nigeria, and Mexico) looking to digitize their national ID systems. The privacy concerns related to digital ID are well known; they were the focus of India\u2019s Supreme Court ruling, for example. Less known is the way these digital systems are often being built, as in Kenya, atop discriminatory regimes.<\/p>\n