Bangalore based International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-B) has entered into an MOU with Morocco government to develop Aadhaar like digital identity system in the northwest African country. Referred to as the National Population Register, it will be a database of citizens and foreigners.
Each individual in the register will have a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) based on his/her demographic data and biometric data. Similar to pro Aadhaar arguments in India, the aim of the Moroccan government behind the project is said to improve the targeting of government’s social welfare programmes for the citizens.
Digital identity: MOSIP Morocco
The project will be developed through Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), an open source initiative led by IIIT-B and funded by several Indian and International philanthropic organizations. The modular architecture provides governments flexibility in how they implement their foundational identity system.
It is a proud moment for IIITB for having formally inked this MoU that has enabled the institute to extend it’s benign hand across continents to empower the Moroccan citizens and the Government to participate in mutually beneficial e-governance initiatives. #MOSIP #IIITB pic.twitter.com/KqMJXM0VAg
— IIIT Bangalore (@IIITB_official) August 27, 2018
“MOSIP is being developed in keeping with the ethos of the open source movement. Its development and evolution will be governed by a combination of a) an executive committee comprising donors and representatives of organizations that have been championing digital identity for sustainable and inclusive development, and b) a technology committee – comprising of experts in the fields of open source software development, software engineering, architecture, quality assurance, security, privacy, and biometrics – that will be the authority on approving architecture, design, code, and documentation for MOSIP”, reads MOSIP official website.
Digital identity: World Bank
Digital identification projects across the world are gaining ground in the backdrop of the World bank’s encouragement. A World bank consultation meeting on digital identities and MOSIP is scheduled on September 05. This consultation is the first of many to solicit inputs and recommendations to discuss various aspects of MOSIP and solicit inputs for execution of the project.
“Robust, inclusive, and responsible identification systems can increase access to finance, healthcare, education, and other critical services and benefits. Identification systems are also key to improving efficiency and enabling innovation for public- and private-sector services, such as greater efficiency in the delivery of social safety nets and facilitating the development of digital economies.” – World Bank
MOSIP has nothing to do with Aadhaar. While MOSIP is inspired by Aadhaar technology, it is an effort to create an complete open source digital identity that could be consumed by any country or corporate for establishing a digital identity system. It has no Aadhaar code/technology in it.
Click bait headline.