CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Tummalapalli, Aslesha |
|---|---|
| Title | Privacy Vs Protection: Mapping Crucial Challenges in Implementing the ICT4D Agenda in Global South Case Analysis of India's Aadhaar Program |
| Summary | A rising number of Global South countries are investing in Information and Communication Technologies to streamline their social protection delivery systems despite a dearth of evidence supporting their effectiveness in non-western contexts. To address this crucial gap, the current master’s thesis examines the impact of the ICT4D agenda on comprehensive social protection and privacy standards in Global South, through a case analysis of India’s enormous digital identification project, Aadhaar. The thesis is theoretically grounded in Milan and Trere’s (2019) framework for examining datafication in the South which proposes a shift beyond data universalism, to perceive and portray the South as a composite and plural entity, and to hold agency at the center of the analyses. Findings from the research revealed that the subsumption of core welfare delivery programs into the Aadhaar ecosystem led to arbitrary exclusion or denial of services due to inadequate technical infrastructure, disempowering the already vulnerable. Additionally, the lack of composite privacy protection and accountability mechanisms led to aggravation of data injustice for the poor. The Aadhaar project provides invaluable insights about ICT4D realities in the grassroots, and upon addressing its key shortcomings, has the potential to function as a blueprint for adoption to other countries of Global South. Key Words: ICT4D; Aadhaar; Global South; Social Protection; Privacy |
| Supervisor | Ashraf, Cameran; Pareja, Pablo |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/tummalapalli_aslesha.pdf |
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