via Nikhil Pahwa, reporting for Wired UK, comes a glimpse into an Indian version of Big Brother, in this case, a database monikered Aadhaar, in which is contained the apparently problematically managed biometric identity data of over 1.2 Billion Indian Citizens. I fear for the freedom of the justly proud and wonderful people of India with the existence of this system. Nice logo though, eh?

"The Aadhaar number is a 12 digit identity code, based on a person's biometric and demographic information, that has been made mandatory for a large number of government welfare and private services in India: at present you need one to open a bank account, get a mobile phone, pay taxes, or even get an ambulance. It is the largest biometric identity project in the world and has enrolled more than 1.22 billion people. Russia, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are interested in adopting similar systems." - via Nikhil Pahwa, reporting for Wired UK