Biometric digital identity (ID) systems are being promoted by national governments, multilateral development agencies, and the private sector as the universal solution for legal identification.
This pilot study examines the above premise against Nepal’s National Identity Card (NID) apropos primarily the end-users’ efforts to register, their experiences, and the effects as well as expectations of the program on their lived realities. The findings add weight to other global studies of national digital ID programs which reveal disturbing gaps between the promise and reality of implementing these systems.