Episode Overview

Podcast: The CGD Podcast
Host: Lawrence MacDonald, Center for Global Development (CGD)
Guest: Alan Gelb, Senior Fellow at CGD
Episode Title: The Right to a Personal Identity
Date: February 25, 2014

In this episode, host Lawrence MacDonald interviews Alan Gelb, an expert in biometric identification and development, on the transformative impact of new identification technologies for development and poverty reduction. The discussion explores the rapid evolution of biometric ID systems, their dual uses (security and development), related privacy concerns, and the profound development implications of giving personal identity to millions in the developing world—especially children.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Growth and Scope of Biometric Identification

• Biometric technologies are expanding rapidly, with applications in both security and development sectors.

  • “It's a sort of a dual use technology. After 9/11, it expanded very quickly... But the most rapid growth is actually in developing countries... applications are moving from security and law enforcement into a variety of development programs.” — Alan (01:30)

• The development focus is gaining momentum, including high-profile conferences such as Connect ID (Washington DC) and the Biometric Summit (Miami).

  • Countries featured: Mexico (pension admin), Pakistan, South Africa, India (UID program) (01:50–02:16).

2. What is Biometric ID?

• Biometric ID uses physical characteristics for identification: fingerprints, iris, facial recognition, vein patterns, even body odor and ear/tongue patterns.

  • “The industry is trying to find new ways of identifying...There was one a while back which was called butt biometrics...” — Alan (02:39)

• Not all biometric methods are practical, but mainstream technologies like fingerprints, iris scans, and possibly DNA are becoming central.

  • “DNA and possibly brain waves, EEG, are very likely going to be moving more to the center stage.” — Alan (03:10)

• Rapid decline in technology costs makes mass enrollment in developing countries possible.

  • “The costs are now lower than the costs of the logistics involved... the incremental technology costs are probably not all that high anymore.” — Alan (03:56)

3. Why ID Matters for Development

• Hundreds of millions lack legal identity: about 750 million children globally do not have birth certificates (05:27).

  • “For these people, it’s very difficult to transact...difficult to register property...to open a bank account...for governments to know who their programs are serving.” — Alan (05:27)

• Developmental consequences: being unregistered means children and adults may not access services—health, education, property rights, banking, or social protection.

  • “They are non-persons, there’s no record that they were ever born.” — Lawrence (06:45)

• Fragility of paper records: Conflict or poor administration (as in Cambodia) erases or loses identities.

  • “Because of conflict, documentation has gone. So even if you were registered, you may not be able to find a birth certificate.” — Alan (07:09)

4. Privacy and Security Concerns

• Western audiences fear the 'Big Brother' aspect, with unified records raising privacy risks.

  • “If I'm nervous that the government is...hacking my data, listening to my cell phone calls, it's going to have my biomedical records, and all of that is going to be organized around a single identity, then I can never escape.” — Lawrence (08:07)

• Laws and policies lag technology.

  • “It's clear that the technology is outrunning the legislation...there does have to be attention to some basic principles as these programs are implemented.” — Alan (08:42)

• But for the poor, the lack of ID equates to marginalization, not privilege:

  • “It's very hard to argue that people at the bottom of the pyramid...should not have an ID on the grounds that ID may be abused.” — Alan (09:18)
  • “Despite all the screams about ID, the ones that don't have it...are also the poorest, and they have privacy in that sense because nobody cares about them. They don't participate.” — Alan (09:42)

5. Evolving Authentication Methods ("Multi-Modal")

• Three types of authentication: something you have (token/card), something you know (PIN), something you are (biometrics).

  • “There are three ways that you can authenticate yourself. It can be something that you have...something you know...and it can be something that you are, like an iris print.” — Alan (11:25, 13:45)

• Combining methods increases security—as seen in Estonia's advanced system (card+PIN+biometric enrollment), where citizens receive cards protected by dual PINs.

  • “In Estonia, every citizen has a card...issued against certification, including fingerprinting...on that card there are two PIN numbers.” — Alan (14:58)

6. The New Frontier: Remote Identification

• Identification is becoming “increasingly global, mobile, and transactional.” The ability to authenticate remotely (e.g., for online banking, e-commerce, government services) is crucial.

  • “Identification is increasingly three things. It's increasingly global, it's increasingly mobile, and it's increasingly transactional.” — Alan (16:44)

• Competing models: Should your credentials be embedded in your phone or stored on a separate, mobile card?

  • “Another approach is to keep the identification credentials separate on a card...but make that card readable by a cell phone through near field technology.” — Alan (17:34)
  • “I agree with you. I think that is a more promising technology than embedding it into cell phones... companies competing with different types of solutions and that's what's driving this forward.” — Alan (19:43)

7. A Special Challenge: Identification for Children

• Child registration is lagging: globally, 40% of children are not registered at birth—amounting to 50 million per year (24:26–24:33).

  • “40% of children are not registered at birth...50 million births per year, almost 40% are not registered at all.” — Lawrence (24:26–24:28)

• Challenges of biometric ID for children: infants can't be easily enrolled—iris scans viable only for age 3+, fingerprinting for age 5+.

  • “You can get an iris scan down to about three years...Indians in their UID program will scan children as young as five or six.” — Alan (21:25)

• Potential future solution: DNA-enabled birth certificates, though expensive and potentially intrusive.

  • “You could now technically create DNA-enabled birth certificates...but this is costly...and probably would be seen as intrusive by many people.” — Alan (21:41)

• Best current practice: link infant or child ID with the mother's identity.

  • “The best practice is to lock in the infant’s or the child’s identification with that of the mother.” — Alan (22:47)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On why ID matters for development:

  • “For these people, it's very difficult to transact...very difficult to register property...to open a bank account because banks need to know who they transact with.” — Alan (05:27)

• On privacy concerns for the poor:

  • “It's very hard to argue that people at the bottom of the pyramid...should not have an ID on the grounds that ID may be abused...the ones that don't have it, and therefore who by this argument should be the most privileged because they have the greatest privacy, [are] also the poorest, and they have privacy in that sense because nobody cares about them.” — Alan (09:18–09:42)

• On technology outpacing policy:

  • “It's clear that the technology is outrunning the legislation...So there’s a very big agenda out there which is not just confined to personal identity.” — Alan (08:42)

• On multimodal authentication:

  • “When you combine three of these together, for instance, it becomes a much more powerful system.” — Alan (11:25)

• On the need for innovation for children’s identity:

  • “Unless you have the birth certificate fairly secure, you’re building an ID infrastructure on a pretty flimsy foundation.” — Alan (21:00)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Biometric ID growth trends: 01:30–02:16
• Definition of biometric ID & emerging technologies: 02:21–03:36
• Cost and spread in developing countries: 03:36–04:51
• Importance for the poor & those without ID: 05:27–06:45
• Paper record fragility (Cambodia example): 07:09
• Privacy and 'Big Brother' fears: 08:07–10:00
• Three modes of authentication explained: 11:25, 13:08–13:59
• Estonia’s advanced system: 14:22–16:09
• Remote identification and future trends: 16:44–19:43
• Identifying children: current challenges and future (DNA): 21:20–22:58
• Staggering scale of non-registration: 24:26–24:33

Closing Thoughts

Alan Gelb and Lawrence MacDonald’s conversation highlights both the incredible opportunities and serious challenges inherent in extending secure personal identity to all—especially the poor and marginalized. The advance of biometric ID offers transformative potential for inclusion, service delivery, and empowerment, but also raises urgent questions about privacy, governance, and the rights of the most vulnerable (especially children).

Gelb’s upcoming book, Individual Identity, Rights and Development, promises to explore these themes in greater depth.