The integration of digital technologies can be seen in everyday life, one of them being digital identities. Be it Australia or India, this notion of digital identities is pursued worldwide. Digital identity plays a vital role in various niches such as airports, health record systems, technologists and policymakers having good intents to make modern life much effective and updated.
Several governments are always keen to digitize their citizens for reinforcing their government services universally. This enhances the efficiency and market share in the areas of banking, travel, and insurance industries. And in some places like Syria and Jordan, identities play a major role for the refugees that provide them proofs to improve their settlement, financial security, and job prospects in the countries where they would settle.
However, with the burgeoning technology and its advantages, there are several of risks associated with them. The biometric databases that are being set up as centralized, insecure, and opaque identifiers have a capacity to indicate geo-location which can track your digital real time.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence-run systems and machine learning are used to make decisions based on our individualities. The systems which are usually built on data that can strengthen bias and discrimination, and are wielded without sufficient transparency or human review.
Ultimately, social credit systems, those developed in China currently, will be based on digital ID, thereby enabling or disabling our full and free participation in society.
