African biometric ID systems exclude and violate rights, report finds
African governments are rolling out biometric ID systems to control access to essential services, but a report by digital rights researchers finds millions are excluded due to disability, illiteracy, or lack of technology access, deepening existing inequalities and violating rights.
What happened
Across Africa, governments are rolling out biometric digital identification systems that collect citizens' biometric and personal data to control access to voting, healthcare, education and social protection. A report by the African Digital Rights Network, based on research from ten African countries, found serious concerns about exclusion, rights violations, data protection and accountability.
Millions of people are struggling to enrol in or use these systems, or are choosing not to participate due to fear and mistrust. The systems are leaving millions of citizens unable to obtain essential services, with examples of ID chaos in Botswana and Malawi threatening voter registration.
Reported impact
People struggle to register for biometric digital-ID due to disability or illiteracy. Costs to use online systems, including phone access, mobile data, or electric power for phone charging, are deepening existing inequalities.
Biometric verification has become the standard method of confirming identity, and access to banking services, government programs, employment verification, and travel documentation can all be tied to the same authentication systems.
Index analysis
Pressure to adopt biometric systems often comes from foreign funders and creates dependencies on foreign technology providers. The report was coordinated by the African Digital Rights Network, bringing together 75 digital rights researchers from 30 African countries.
Large biometric databases become highly valuable targets for cyberattacks, as breaches could expose sensitive personal information that cannot be replaced like a password or credit card number.
Governance controls
Digital-ID systems hold large amounts of sensitive personal data including biometric data such as fingerprints and facial recognition, yet critics argue that such systems concentrate enormous amounts of personal information in government-controlled databases without proper safeguards.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.