[ad_1]
India has accomplished a commendable job in digitising id administration and enabling id administration with know-how in the previous couple of years.
Nationwide Voter’s Day has been celebrated on January twenty fifth yearly since 2011 to unfold consciousness amongst voters and promote knowledgeable participation of voters within the electoral course of. Nationwide Voter’s Day marks the muse day of the Election Fee of India (January twenty fifth, 1950).
India has accomplished a commendable job in digitising id administration and enabling id administration with know-how in the previous couple of years. Shifting from the age of Ration Playing cards and Passbooks to environment friendly digitally enabled Passports, technology-enabled the Aadhaar Card system and digitising the Voter Id system.
When India is transitioning quickly to a digital period, it’s essential to evaluate how safe and digital our Voter ID playing cards (also referred to as Electors Photograph Id Card (EPIC)) are? In a rustic with an enormous inhabitants, Voter id administration and doc safety are unquestionably important and extremely cumbersome. With an added problem of reaching with hundred p.c accuracy to semi-urban and rural areas.
If effectively accomplished, voter id administration will empower residents and improve safety enabling democratic values and democracy. A number of hurdles must be overcome earlier than we will attain a passable stage of voter id governance. The at the beginning is the absence of sturdy information safety requirements, which will increase the scope for fraud and is a substantial hindrance in integrating varied id programs such because the proposed linking of Voter Id playing cards with Aadhaar for Knowledge Governance Community. The combination would undoubtedly enhance accessibility, permitting migrant staff to take part in voting no matter their location. And assist in lowering fraud because the biometric Aadhaar information can’t be replicated. However the challenges of bringing on this reform are a) the absence of a legislation defending private information, b) risks of a leak, and Lack of a exact integration mechanism.
How safe are our Voter Id Playing cards of their present avatar?
Final 12 months, the Govt had launched an digital model of the voter id card, termed e-EPIC ((Digital Electoral Photograph Id Card). The e-elector photograph id card is the non-editable digital model of the elector photograph id card, and it may be saved in services corresponding to a digital locker and will be printed in PDF format, along with bodily IDs being issued for contemporary registration. Whereas digitisation is a welcome transfer, there are numerous considerations associated to the bodily safety of the present and upcoming voter ID playing cards.
Voter ID Playing cards are a significant doc for a number of causes. The cardboard is accepted as a proof of id, it’s an acknowledgement of the cardboard holder’s standing as a registered voter, used for identification functions with no mounted deal with, appropriate for electoral functions in low literacy areas, and the cardboard is created to stop fraudulent voting throughout elections to safeguard the sanctity of democracy.
So, Voter Id Playing cards is such an important doc for citizen id administration, must be made safer in opposition to the rising risk of faux paperwork and digital frauds.
Final month in December 2021, Delhi Police arrested two individuals for allegedly operating a pretend web site named voteridcard.ebharatseva.in. They took cash from individuals to make and alter voter ID playing cards and ran away with the funds on this web site. In one other incident, seven individuals had been arrested in Aug 2021, hacking the election fee web site.
Digitisation alone can’t assure the integrity of a doc. Criminals are more and more utilizing superior know-how to supply pretend paperwork. Good doc safety is an unattainable purpose. Safety measures should be considered lowering the dangers of forgery or unauthorised alteration or misuse, not eliminating these dangers. A complete strategy in direction of making Voter ID Playing cards much less susceptible is required.
The perfect answer should embody a mixture of bodily and digital options offering authentication and elevated digital safety to cut back system vulnerability. The Indian authentication trade can ship world-class technology-enabled options which can be suited to the distinctive necessities of defending Voter ID Playing cards. The present stage of know-how can present high-security plastic playing cards with a number of superior safety features corresponding to holograms, safe designing, safety inks, machine-readable parts, non-cloneable QR Codes, and many others. Maybe there’s additionally a have to restrict the issuers of such a important doc and establish confirmed safe identification answer suppliers having the requisite safety infrastructure to print and despatch the EPIC playing cards. This may cut back the potential of the system vulnerability and make sure that all of the EPIC playing cards have the identical appear and feel, irrespective of wherein a part of the nation is the voter from.
The authentication and safety options should be made more practical by widespread consciousness, which educates voters and the Election Fee officers concerning the safety features and some great benefits of having a safe voter ID Card and the way it safeguards their rights as residents and voters.
Manoj Kochar is the Vice President at Authentication Answer Suppliers’ Affiliation (ASPA). Views expressed within the article are private and never of the organisation.
Monetary Specific is now on Telegram. Click on right here to affix our channel and keep up to date with the newest Biz information and updates.
[ad_2]
Source link