Dear Harsh and All,
Here is story so far.
On 9/14/06, Harsh Busa harsh.busa@gmail.com wrote:
Dinesh a humble request. Can you or someone summarize the discussion so far ? Points that have been noted , concerns that have been addressed, tasks that have been completetd ?
1st let me correct the nomenclature of the system. The existing name has lead to some misunderstanding.
We will call this system "Citizen Identification/Information System". This name should make clear that this System is for the purpose of Identifying a citizen and providing information ABOUT a citizen of country, so as to make sure that the person so identified can prove his/her bonafied citizenship of this country.
So far we have two distinct opinion emerging from this discussion.
1. Those who are for this system has given following reasons for having the system.
A. Increased internal security of the state and citizens B. To enable the e-governance C. Remove the hassles of multiple identity D.
2. Those who are against this system has given following reasons for not thing such system.
A. Fear of Police/Big Brother state B. Identity Theft C. Lose of privacy, liberty and freedom. D.
So far following items are suggested to be collect for establishing the Identity
1. Date and Place of Birth 2. Name of the Mother/Father/Guardian 3. Birth Mark(s) 4. Finger Prints 5. Photo 6. DNA Sample 7. Retina/Iris pattern
We have also discussed existing identification methods used and their limitation
1. Passport + Proper Validation - Time Consuming - Costly - Not Scalable - Duplication/Forgery Possible - Not universal
2. Voters ID + ??? - Not universal - Inaccurate - Duplication/Forgery Possibly
3. Ration Card + Fairly common - Inaccurate - Duplication/Forgery Possible - Already much maligned
4. Driving License
5. Birth Certificate
6. PAN Card
7. Domicile Certificate
8. Caste Certificate
So far we have not reached the conclusion what data should be made available publicly. However, there is complete agreement that following details should not be made available without proper authorisation.
1. Financial Records 2. Health/Medical Records 3. Relationship Records?
I will put the above info on the Wiki made available by Kenneth (http://nrcfosshelpline.in/code/wiki/ProjectIdeas). I would request every one to add missing info in the above list.
So that humans like me who find it diffficult to put all the pieces together can also figure out wats happening and try to value add :)
I hope that I have not missed any major points discussed so far. Please feel free to bring any missing points to our notice. Henceforth, I will keep updating the Wiki as we discuss this further.
HRB
With regards,