Biometrics And Surveillance As A Tool Of Tracing Citizenship
- IJLLR Journal
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
Ankita Shekhawat, Manipal University
1. Introduction
The heart of the Modern nation-state is the idea of Citizenship. It describes the political and legal relationship between the individual and the state. Earlier Citizenship was created by naturalization, Birth, or Lineage, and was confirmed by records like voter ID cards, passports, and birth certificates.
But in a time of international migration and quick technological advancements, governments and institutions are shifting more and more to biometrics and surveillance to recognize, verify, and regulate citizenship for the protection of national security.
The Greek words bio, which means life, and metric, which means to measure, are the roots of the word biometrics.A brief explanation of biometrics is that they are physical traits or biological measurements that can be used to identify people. Some examples of biometric technology are fingerprint mapping, facial recognition, and retinal scanning; however these are only the most well-known. According to researchers, other distinctive characteristics include a person's ear shape, posture, and gait, as well as their body Odor, hand veins, and even facial expressions. These characteristics help to define biometrics. Biometric identity verification promises accuracy, efficiency, and security when included in governance systems. At the same time, surveillance technologies—from drones and closed-circuit television to facial recognition powered by artificial intelligence—allow governments to watch, monitor, and manage populations on a never-before-seen scale. These systems work together to create a techno-legal identity management regime that has significant ramifications for citizenship.
The AADHAAR Act, 2016 aims to ensure efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits, and services to individuals in India through unique identity numbers, promoting good governance and transparency.. While primarily intended as a tool for welfare distribution, Aadhaar has become increasingly intertwined with issues of citizenship and governmental legitimacy, particularly in relation to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. The NRC process in Assam, for example, revealed the importance of biometrics in establishing who qualifies as a citizen, with far-reaching implications for inclusion and exclusion.
