India: Vaccine exclusion fears over digital ID, face recognition

Millions at risk of missing vaccines as Indian state pilots facial recognition technology at inoculation centres.

Millions of vulnerable people are at risk of missing out on COVID-19 vaccines as India uses its national digital identity for registration and pilots facial recognition technology at inoculation centres, rights groups and experts said. Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, authorities are testing a facial recognition system based on the Aadhaar ID for authentication in the eastern state of Jharkhand, and plan to roll it out nationwide, a senior official said last week. “Aadhaar-based facial recognition system could soon replace biometric fingerprint or iris scan machines at COVID-19 vaccination centres across the country in order to avoid infections,” RS Sharma, chief of the National Health Authority, was quoted as telling an online publication.