In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.
On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.
In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.
In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.
In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.
"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Krishnaswamy
Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Sunday, August 28, 2016

10318 - Ride digital finance wave with Aadhaar - dna India


KHYATI DHARAMSI | Tue, 9 Aug 2016-06:50am , dna
Ad

Hopping cities or lost and changed phone numbers? Apart from intimating your bank and electricity supplier, there is one additional database where you would have to update changes in correspondence details.

Else you would end up in a situation like Navi Mumbai-based senior citizen P S Banerjee who had filed his returns electronically this year. He was happy to hear that he needn't make a trip to the post-office to physically send the e-filing acknowledgement to Bangalore. Albeit, he couldn't make use of the new facility of electronically verifying the returns as his date of birth mentioned in the permanent account number (PAN) was different than his date of birth mentioned in Aadhaar. "The birthdate mentioned was erroneous and I never changed it thinking it wouldn't matter as the year was the same," said Banerjee not realising the importance of correcting the details.

When he requested for one-time password to e-verify returns, using his Aadhaar number, he couldn't do it as there was a mismatch. Being a senior citizen he was wary of netbanking and hence that mode of verification too was closed.
Not just e-verification of returns, but now Aadhaar database is being used for several other financial services, especially those linked with digital facilities.

"The advent of Aaadhar as a national identity instrument has made the KYC process extremely easy. By linking a customer's mobile number electronically to his / her Aadhaar account, the process is now much simpler and hassle free," states a BCG report titled Digital Payments 2020.

Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) initiated electronic customer verification starting 2016, which reduces the turnaround time to invest in mutual funds without submitting physical documents.

As a result, today fund houses and distributors are able to initiate fresh customers into MF by just asking them to fill online form, send picture of PAN card and one address proof and verify originals through a video call. But the final step is keying in the one-time password sent to the mobile number.
This mobile number isn't the one you may be using right now, but the one mentioned on your Aadhar card. Hence, if convenience is what matters and one wants to invest without any paper work then Aadhaar data would have to be updated as the KYC process is integrated with the name, phone and email address as mentioned in the Aadhar database.
Subramanya SV, co-founder of Fisdom, which offers app and web-based personal finance platform. "If the mobile number associated with Aadhaar is not the same that the investor is currently using then it would be difficult to generate the one-time password, which is essential for e-KYC verification. It doesn't take more than half an hour to change the mobile number, yet people fail to update the changes."
If the number isn't updated the customer would have to come in through the old route wherein KYC takes two to three days and requires submission of physical documents like address proof and other papers. "Aadhar-based eKYC would take merely thirty seconds and the customer can start investing in mutual funds upto Rs 50,000 per year instantaneously," points out Subramanya.
But one need not be bound by the Rs 50,000 limit. "One is permitted to invest upto Rs 50,000 per fund houses, so one can even invest Rs 1.50 lakh split with different fund houses using e-KYC. Once you cross the limit of Rs 50,000 with a fund house, finger-print verification is needed," suggests Nisarg Gandhi, CEO of fintech firm WealthTrust, which offers app based MF investing facility.
However, you shouldn't forget to match the details with the PAN database. "The name in the Aadhaar database should be the same as mentioned in PAN. Otherwise the e-KYC wouldn't get completed. If there are spelling mistakes such as PAN mentions K Srinavasarao, while Aadhaar mentions K Srinivas, then you would have to request a change," suggests Gandhi.

So, head to the nearest point of service to ensure correct details in your Aadhar database.