Authors: Mr. Adnan Shafiq Mangaonkar, Ritesh Kumar Indrajit Sharma
Abstract: India's rapid adoption of biometric technology has positioned it as a global leader in AI-driven identity recognition systems, with over 1.3 billion citizens enrolled in the Aadhaar database. This research examines the evolving trends and emerging threats in biometric data usage across India's digital ecosystem through secondary data analysis. The study analyzes five comprehensive case studies spanning government identification systems, law enforcement surveillance, banking sector authentication, consumer mobile applications, and healthcare implementations. Key findings reveal a biometric market valued at INR 24,303.6 crores in 2024, growing at 12.18% CAGR, alongside concerning security vulnerabilities including 815 million healthcare records breached in 2023 and a 300% increase in biometric data breaches between 2020-2023. The research identifies critical gaps in privacy frameworks, discriminatory policing practices using 80% accuracy thresholds, and inadequate regulatory oversight of consumer applications. While biometric authentication has enhanced financial inclusion and service delivery efficiency, significant threats include deepfake attacks, algorithmic bias, and mass surveillance capabilities. The study recommends strengthened data protection laws, transparent AI governance frameworks, and enhanced user consent mechanisms to balance technological innovation with fundamental privacy rights.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15813266
