Role of Biometrics in Digital India Transformation

Before we get into the main topic, let’s just have a brief intro on Biometrics. Simply put Biometrics is the incorporation of biological attributes into machine which would recognition individuals based certain biological characteristics for authentication purpose. Biometrics is the most prominent and reliable technology available today for identifying and authenticating individuals using pre-registered data such as fingerprints, face, iris, palm, etc that are unique to each person.  

How is Data Stored in Biometric Devices?

To initiate authentication process, first the biological aspects of individuals need to be stored in devices. Once the biological characteristics are scanned or captured by the device, the person’s data will be converted into mathematical representation of the image that has been scanned and stored as biometric template. It is virtually impossible to replicate biometric data as it is converted into another form similar to a machine language.

So, the next time when the person’s identity needs to be verified, his/her biological attributes will be compared with the respective stored data and for successful authentication both data need to be matched accurately. Otherwise, the authentication will be unsuccessful.

With this basic understanding of what biometrics is and how it works, we shall proceed deeper into the topic.

What is Digital India?

Digital India is one of the many initiatives taken up by the Government of India with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered nation in all technology layers. As the concept of Digital India sprouted, so does the need for the digital infrastructure including high-speed internet across the country. Hence, Digital India campaign consist of the following essential components:

1.        Safe and Secure Digital Infrastructure

2.        Government Services via Digital Platforms

3.        Digital Connectivity of Indian Citizens

Let’s see about each segment more closely for a deeper understanding.

Development of Digital Infrastructure:

In order to provide services digitally, seamless network connectivity need to be implemented across the nation including rural areas and villages to deliver digital services to every citizen. Some of the key components of this objective include high-speed internet facility, phone banking, unique individual digital identity, Shareable cloud platforms, etc.

Delivery of Services Electronically:

In today’s world, everything goes digitally. Almost all government and private sectors adopted digital operations and services. This objective essentially involves, delivery of integrated services across departments, real-time services in online and mobile platforms, online financial transactions and so on.

Digital Connectivity:

Digital connectivity has become a major trend in this modern era and we are connected beyond boundaries like never before, all thanks to the current technological development that made it possible. Indians are increasingly communicating with each other via digital platforms such as mobile and computer. Hence, this segment promotes the connectivity through digital literacy, resources and services.

Significance of Biometrics in Digital India

The first and foremost objective of the initiative is to form a secure digital infrastructure. Lack of security measures in digital platforms would be chaotic and would make the systems vulnerable to cyber-attacks, data breaches, etc. Furthermore, the digitally empowered society need to be equipped with reliable authentication systems such as biometric technology to enforce security. Biometric systems are widely integrated into various technology platforms to enhance security in both government and private sectors due to the rapid and accurate identification process.

In recent years, lots of mobile brands incorporate biometric authentications such as fingerprint verification, facial or voice recognition in mobile phones. Even mobile payment applications adopted biometric systems as reliable authentication procedure for financial transactions. This aspect is going to be an important factor of cybersecurity for mobile associated applications as most of the Digital India segments tend to use mobile as a connecting platform.

Furthermore, it is projected that the next-generation cybersecurity will be driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) based solutions along with Biometric Technology given the scale of threat protection that need to be employed across digital platforms.

In addition, Biometric systems are widely being used in corporate sectors to facilitate certain management objectives including Time Attendance Solutions as well as in security platforms.

Biometric technology is extensively being used in smart homes as well as in hospitality industry to provide a luxurious experience to the users, which allows users to interact with and control electronic devices through certain physiological behaviours or biological aspects such as voice commands, hand movements, facial recognition, etc. Without the contribution of biometrics, the modern and secured world that we see today might not have been possible.  

Emerging Trends in Biometrics:

Biometric technology is exponentially blooming into various dimensions and it has extended from fingerprint identification to palm vein recognition. Numerous developments in biometric technology are on the way. It is projected that in the upcoming years, there will be a higher adoption of biometric technology in various segments not only for authentication but also for personalization. The concept of Shareable Public Cloud Platforms from Digital India initiative could be achieved by Cloud-based biometric technology which ensures personalized access to cloud data. With constant developments in biometrics as well as in other digital platforms, the vision of Digital India will soon become a reality.