National identity card - Smart card technology

India's national ID card is essentially a smart card, a pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits which can process data. It can receive an input which is processed, by way of the ICC applications, and delivers it as an output. The National ID card will have 16KB of memory and is designed to uphold the specifications laid out in ISO/IEC 7816, an international standard for smart cards created by the international organization for standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The cards are designed to support a minimum of 300,000 EEPROM write cycles and will retain data for at least 10 years (Source: Government Tender notice for card manufacturers)

The government press release describes the card as:

"The identity card being given to each individual citizen, has a micro processor chip with a memory of 16 KB which is a secure card. Besides having several physical feature into the design of the card, it is the cyber security using ‘asymmetric key cryptography’ and ‘symmetric key cryptography’ that has made the card secure against the risk of tempering and cloning. The National Informatics Centre has made a major contribution towards developing the processes for database management and smart card technology."

Linking the National Identity Number with other government databases

Worrying signs of Wear

UK’s “unhackable” national ID card hacked in 12 minutes

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by Devin Coldewey on August 6, 2009

Remember the national ID cards the UK spent billions on, then forgot to distribute readers for? Well, there’s another bump on that particular road, namely that the security around your private information is about on the level of “cookie jar.” A hacker with a phone and laptop, hired by a UK newspaper, cloned the card within a few minutes, then wrote new content onto it: “I am a terrorist — shoot on sight.” Imagine if that showed up on the checkpoint scanner while you were going through customs. Guess it’s lucky they don’t have the scanners yet!

This is only the latest misstep in the unpopular and poorly-managed national ID program over there. It’s really simple, guys. No critical information should be able to be skimmed from the ID. If you must put it digitally on the card, there’s enough space in a 128KB memory chip to fit a picture, all relevant information, and have it all encoded with 128-bit encryption only decodable by proprietary hardware with line of sight.

And, of course, those fragile chips are so vulnerable to damage. Who could blame someone if the memory component was rendered unreadable… accidentally, of course?

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/08/06/uks-unhackable-national-id-card-hacked-in-12-minutes/

Objectives of the Omniscient ID card

Objectives of the National ID card project

Obviate need for multiple documentary proof

Facilitate easy verification

Facilitate easy availing of government or private services

Help welfare programmes reach intended beneficiaries

Serve as basis for e-governance services

The ID shall also serve the following purposes

To prepare a National Population Register (NPR)

To prepare National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC)

To prepare National Register of Residency (NRR) – for non-citizens

To provide National Identity Number (NIN) to each person

To provide Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) to each citizen

To provide Multi-purpose Residency Card to non-citizens

The Agency ready for Action

An agency of the Indian government, the unique identification authority of India has been tasked with implementing the multi purpose identification card by providing all Indians with a unique identification number and data basing information about residents along with their basic biometric data. The agency was established in the February of 2009 and holds a cabinet rank under the planning commission of India. The national ID card project is estimated to create 100,000 new jobs in the country, and business opportunities worth Rs 6,500 crore (US$ 1.34 billion) in its first phase. In order to get the ball rolling for the agency, the Union Labor Ministry has offered its verified Employment Provident Fund (EPFO) database of 42 million citizens as the first database to be integrated into the unique ID system.

The primary role of the UID Authority will be responsible for creating and maintaining the core database. The UID will also establish all necessary procedures for issuance and usage of UID. These include arrangements for collection, validation and authentication of information, proper security of data, rules for sharing and access to information and safeguards to ensure adequate protection of privacy.

Here is the official press release from the Indian Government regarding the nation ID card project. http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44711

The Man behind the Madness

Nandan Nilekani: Best known around the world as the man who inspired Thomas L. Friedman's book "the world is flat", Nanden Nilekani is currently the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India , charged with implementing the national identity card, and is the former CEO and MD of Infosys Technologies, one of India's largest private IT companies, employing more than a 103,905 software professionals.

To get a feel for the man and his view of the world check out his enthralling and insightful TED talk http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/nandan_nilekani_s_ideas_for_india_s_future.html

National identity cards; current status, networks, stakeholders, values, conflicts, and research

The National ID card technology in its current form:

- Biometric details such as fingerprints and photo ID can be stored on existing microchips embedded in identity cards.

- Data basing tools and servers are available though updating and creating the systems for 1.1 billion people is challenging at best. - National data bases need to be constructed

- Access / interface software systems are available and these can be utilized by multiple government organizations to disseminate information.

- Project timetable; 3 years to implement the project, including a one year pilot programme which would involve a 100 million people.

Larger Network of Technologies:

- Data base required to store information such as name, age, sex, address, photo ID, unique ID number, fingerprints.

- Network such as the internet which would require servers.

- Logistics network consisting of grass roots level organization which would enroll and audit citizens in remote areas and spread awareness about the new ID card technology.

Immediate Direct Stakeholders:

- General population

- local administration

- government

- IT firms

- local administration

Indirect Stakeholders

- businesses - banks - insurance

- microcredit organisation

- corrupt government officials - no longer have easy access to loopholes in the system

- illegal immigrants

- individuals in the black market

- NGO's

- Welfare officials

- land owners

- Terrorists

- Security agencies

- political parties

- stakeholders

Values relevant to each stakeholder

- government: Efficiency, organization

- business: Profit maximization

- corrupt government officials: loopholes in the system

- Terrorists: Windows of opportunity, anonymity, freedom of mobility

- immigrants: access to welfare, education and health

- black market: profit, anonymity

- NGO' s: efficiency, transparency

- land owners: order, organization, authenticity

- banks: profits, accountability

- microfinance: reach, penetration

- political parties: reach, penetration, access to voter banks

- security agencies: information

Conflicts

- Privacy VS efficiency

- Personal convenience VS economy wide convenience

- Transparency VS anonymity

- Delivery of basic welfare VS new route to citizenship

- Bureaucracy VS Automation

- Huge start up cost VS Possible long term benefits

- Public sector VS Private sector

- security VS big brother oppression

- Past VS future

- Old India VS New India

- India 1 VS india 2

National Identity Card: 2001 a space odyssey or back to 1984

Hal: "I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."

- Arthur C. Clarke 2001 a space odyssey

"People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word."- George Orwell, 1984,

A national identity card could result in one of these two situations and it is in our best interest to work out which is more likely, as national ID cards are now in the pipeline for countries preparing for the 21st century. India hopes to role out its national ID card in three years and a ministry, led by Nandin Nilekani, one of the biggest names in IT, has already been set up to oversee the process. The UK has also toyed with the idea of a national identity card and Singapore already has the system in place. As population, governance and technology continues to expand, the question of national ID cards will soon become a much more pressing and immediate issue for countries around the globe and the raging debate between efficiency and privacy will continue to grow as citizens around the world decide on how much information and power they are willing to provide to their governments.

The implementation of these cards will require the use of advanced IT data-basing technology, enormous political will and unparalleled logistical organization, not to mention gigantic sums of money and human capital. India's National ID card project has already been labelled one of the biggest IT projects in human history and if China was to follow , one could only guess at the scale and complexity involved.

This blog is aimed at trying to understand the methods by which a country would implement a national ID card project and the reason for doing so, are such initiatives worth the immense costs and complications? Will they help or hinder our society? And in the end, would national ID cards result in a 2001 space odyssey utopia or a 1984 nightmare?