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India is scanning people's fingerprints and eyeballs to make a database of every citizen

The Indian government is 90% of the way toward a complete database of citizens' biometric data, known as Aadhaar.

A villager goes through the process of eye scanning for Unique Identification (UID) database system in India.

If you’re an Indian citizen, chances are you’re well-acquainted with a government program that scans people’s fingerprints and irises and uploads the data to a federal database. If you don't comply, you risk losing the ability to pay your taxes, collect welfare money, and access other government assistance programs.

And if you're unlucky, you might even lose the ability to stay private, as hackers could use the data to trace your phone calls, messages, and physical location.

This is the reality for India's 1.3 billion people, who since 2009 have been asked to comply with an ID-collection system the government bills as voluntary, but only if people don't mind forgoing basic civic entitlements, the Los Angles Times reports. The program, known as Aadhaar, or "foundation" in Hindi, seeks to log every person's identity using biometric data collected at various "enrollment agencies" scattered around the country — primarily in an effort to cut down on instances of fraud and counterfeiting.

Over the last eight years, the government has moved a growing number of transactions to the Aadhaar bucket. Most recently, it said people could file their income taxes only if they had first registered with Aadhaar, Hindstan Times reports.

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Aadhaar's proponents say the system actually makes life more convenient for Indian citizens. Historically, people have needed a stack of documents — bills, ID cards, tax forms — to prove their identity. Aadhaar replaces all those with one quick thumb scan. Instantly, the bank teller knows you're who you say you are, and your pockets remain as empty as ever.

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