India Stack

rdf:langString India Stack

rdf:langString India Stack refers to the ambitious project of creating a unified software platform to bring India's population into the digital age. Its website describes its mission thus: "India Stack is a set of APIs that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilize a unique digital Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery" Of the four "distinct technology layers" mentioned on the same page, the first, the "Presenceless Layer" is the most controversial as it involves storing biometric data such as fingerprints for every citizen. Since such markers are widely being adopted to enable cashless payment, the issue arises of fraudulent use of biometrics. The other layers are the Paperless Layer, which enables personal records to be associated with one's online identity; the Cashless Layer, a single interface to all national banks and online wallets; and the Consent Layer, which aims to maintain security and control of personal data. India Stack is the largest open API in the world. Since its deployment, India has been organizing hackathons to develop applications for the APIs. India Stack is being implemented in stages, starting with the introduction in 2009 of the Aadhaar "Universal ID" numbers. These are linked to biometrics (fingerprints) and as time goes by, authentication by Aadhaar is required for access to more and more services and subsidies. This raises issues of privacy and surveillance, especially as much of the users' interface is via their mobile phones. The next stages were the introduction of eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer), which enables paperless and rapid verification of address, identity etc., followed by e-Sign, whereby users attach a legally valid electronic signature to a document, and UPI (Unified Payments Interface) enabling cashless payments, and most recently, DigitalLocker, a platform for issuance and verification of documents & certificates. What raised the profile of Aadhaar and India Stack worldwide was the recent "demonetisation" whereby 500 and 1000 Rupee notes were phased out, officially to eliminate forgeries and money-laundering, but with the secondary objective of hastening the transition to a cashless economy. Observers have argued that India Stack could fast-track the move to digital payment systems across the developed world and mark the end of cash. However, various challenges related to user rights have been mounted: in August 2017 India's Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favour of a petition applying for privacy to be declared a fundamental right and other court matters followed.