More than one million people traveled to India in a one-year period for medical treatment. They came for the hospitals in Delhi not the beaches of Goa. Postcard from a hypothetical medical tourist in India. Illustration by News Decoder. Even as a majority of Indians...
A new study shows that rates of anemia have started to decline. But not for everyone, everywhere. Experts say we need to look at underlying causes. Illustration by News Decoder of a human body and red blood cells. One in every four people in the world suffer from...
The Indian government has proposed strengthening privacy protection, but at the cost of transparency. Is this about protection or repression? Photo illustration by News Decoder. India’s proposed digital privacy law is creating fault lines between the right to privacy...
If a government agency stores the DNA and fingerprints of its residents can it serve them more efficiently or control them more effectively? (Image: News Decoder) A year after Kenya’s historic digital identity program was declared illegal, the Kenyan government is...
As more countries around the world adopt digital identification systems, concerns about the legality of such programs have come to the fore. This month, University of Toronto global journalism fellow Shefali Malhotra walks us through arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs in Kenya.
Exercise: As students are reading the article, have them create a list of arguments for and against the implementation of digital IDs. Then, have students write a paragraph on whether or not they support adopting digital IDs in your country. The paragraph should include arguments around at least two of the following subtopics: data protection (legal), privacy (personal & commercial), internet penetration/the digital divide, potential discrimination against vulnerable groups. To extend the activity, students can engage in a structured debate with classmates after writing their paragraphs.
New biometric systems scan your face or fingerprint as proof of ID, but many governments require an official card. For some people that’s a problem. Facial Recognition System starts its operation at JR Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo on 30 August 2021....