Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies

Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies is a major research report edited by Elonnai Hickok, Sumandro Chattapadhyay, and Sunil Abraham, and published by the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The report offers one of the earliest comprehensive overviews of how big data technologies are integrated into governance mechanisms in India, through detailed analysis of five case studies — Predictive Policing, the Unique Identity (Aadhaar) Project, Big Data in Credit Scoring, Smart Meters and Big Data, and Intelligent Transport Systems.

Publication Details
Abstract
Context and Background
Key Themes or Findings
Full Text
Citation

Publication Details

👤 Editors:: Elonnai Hickok, Sumandro Chattapadhyay, and Sunil Abraham
🏛️ Published by:: The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS)
📅 Date:: May 2016
💰 Supported by:: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
📘 Type:: Research Report / Policy Case Study Compilation
📄 Access:: Download PDF

Abstract

This interdisciplinary report explores the application of big data systems in Indian governance, focusing on the intersection between technology, policy, and citizen rights. Each case study examines a distinct policy area where large-scale data collection, processing, and analytics are deployed by state or corporate actors — from predictive policing and financial credit scoring to smart infrastructure and digital identity systems.

Through this comparative approach, the report identifies both efficiency gains and structural risks — including bias, exclusion, surveillance, and data opacity — that accompany data-driven governance. The findings argue for stronger regulatory frameworks, ethical design principles, and privacy protections to ensure that data practices serve public interest without eroding democratic accountability.

Context and Background

Produced during a period of rapid digital transformation in India’s public sector (2015–2016), this research situates big data governance within the broader Digital India initiative. The project investigates how large-scale data systems were being embedded into policy design, service delivery, and citizen identification.

Building on prior CIS work on open data, surveillance, and information rights, the report critically assesses claims that big data automatically leads to better governance. It explores the epistemic and ethical challenges arising when algorithmic systems inform law enforcement, welfare distribution, and financial inclusion — particularly in the absence of a robust data protection regime.

Key Themes or Findings

Predictive Policing: Examines how the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) and other state projects apply algorithmic risk models to policing, highlighting dangers of institutional bias and opaque decision-making.
Digital Identity and the UID/Aadhaar Project: Explores Aadhaar as a large-scale data infrastructure facilitating convergence of citizen databases, raising questions of privacy, function creep, and data-driven surveillance.
Big Data and Credit Scoring: Analyses fintech firms’ use of behavioural data for financial profiling, exposing risks of discrimination, exclusion, and exploitative microcredit practices.
Smart Meters and the Internet of Things: Evaluates how smart grid data can improve energy efficiency but also create new privacy vulnerabilities and social inequalities.
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS): Discusses mobility data in public transport, its potential for improved service delivery, and its implications for consent, security, and data governance.

Across these cases, the report concludes that while datafication enhances state capacity, it also reconfigures citizen–state relationships — shifting accountability from law and rights to algorithms and code.

Full Text

📄 Download Full Report (PDF)

Citation

If you wish to reference or cite this publication, you may use one of the following formats.

APA Style

Hickok, E., Chattapadhyay, S., & Abraham, S. (2016).
Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies.
The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS).
https://sunilabraham.in/publications/big-data-in-governance-india/

BibTeX

@report{hickok2016bigdata,
  author = {Hickok, Elonnai and Chattapadhyay, Sumandro and Abraham, Sunil},
  title = {Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies},
  institution = {The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS)},
  year = {2016},
  url = {https://sunilabraham.in/publications/big-data-in-governance-india/}
}

MLA Style

Hickok, Elonnai, Sumandro Chattapadhyay, and Sunil Abraham.
"Big Data in Governance in India: Case Studies."
The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), 2016.
https://sunilabraham.in/publications/big-data-in-governance-india/