Today, we release "Paving a Road to Hell? A Primer on the Role of the World Bank and Global Networks in Promoting Digital ID." This report highlights how and why dangerous models of biometric digital ID have been energetically supported by actors like @WorldBank. We find: (1/7)
Digital ID systems with biometric components are increasingly linked to large-scale violations of human rights. Emerging evidence from countries like India and Uganda has shown that such systems can exacerbate exclusion and discrimination, and lead to new forms of harm. (2/7)
Yet confoundingly, similar systems continue to be promoted by the World Bank's ID4D Initiative, alongside a network of global actors. Seemingly inspired by Aadhaar in India, a new development consensus assumes that such systems are a necessity for modern life. (3/7)
What such systems aim to provide is often a narrow form of what we refer to as 'economic identity', which is not linked to any form of legal status. The focus is on unlocking behavioral data and enabling transactions—but not on safeguarding rights. (4/7)
The result? Human rights and vital questions about legal status are pushed to the margins, and investment flows to systems that primarily benefit the private sector and security-minded gov'ts. There is little evidence that such systems support either development or rights. (5/7)
There is, however, significant evidence of irreversible harm. Rather than an equitable digital future, the report argues that “despite undoubted good intentions on the part of some, [these systems] may well be paving a digital road to hell.” (6/7)
The report pushes back against the inevitability or necessity of such systems, and calls for a much broader coalition of individuals and organizations to get involved. We make practical suggestions to ensure that human rights are made central to any digital ID system. (7/7)
Read the full report here: chrgj.org/wp-content/upl…
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