Aadhar - the unique identity no for india: benefits and threats
Unique Identity Number - Introduction
The need of a unique identity is India is being felt for some previous years. In June2006, first it was to be created for BPL families only but later on it was felt that there is requirement of identification for each resident across the country which would be use primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services and would help government in monitoring of various government programs.
On 4Nov,2008, the Unique Identification Authority of India was constituted and notified by planning commission on 28Jan,2009 as an attached office under aegis of planning commission with an initial core team of 115 official. On july2,2009 Mr. Nandan Nilkeni was appointed as chairman of UIDAI for initial 5 years.
UIDAI has an estimation to around 600million cards over the initial 5 years. The project has been given name as Aadhar India and a new logo containing sun having a finger print in it.
Need of Aadhar India
1.In several Government department various documentary proof are required, the unique identity number will reduce the burden of various identity proof.
2.For a long time India is facing various frauds in identity as some bad people of society has created various fake identity for their individual benefits. Aadhar India will help in finish all such kind of things.
3.Various type of duplication of data can be stopped with the help of UIN.
4.Aadhar India will serve as a simple solution to various kind of documentary proof.
5.Aadhar India will contain all kind of personal details so there will be no need to provide various personal details again and again.
How the Aadhar India can be used for various purposes
- Indian government is planning to use Aadhar India not only for identity but for the various other purposes. The Aadhar India is expected to be come out with various purposes. Some of the area where it can be used are:
1.The Income Tax authority of India has planned to use UIN as PAN card.
2.RBI is looking for UIN as this would help in finding all the bank account of a person with ease. It would be mandatory to provide your UIN to your bank to open a new bank account or to operate in current bank account.
3.The UIN is also being to use as phone no. of individual. The unique no. of person will become his phone no. However this is possible only when there no use alphabet is made in UIN.
4.This would also serve as license.
5.For various monetary transaction providing UIN detail would be necessary, this will help in reducing black money transfer.
6.The UIN card is also purposed to be used as ATM cum Debit cum Credit card.
Therefore Aadhar India is expected to serve both people cum government. It posses various benefits to government and people. But we should also consider that every coin has two sides. Aadhar India may also be misused. Some of the
Threats
which may occur due to Aadhar India are:
1.Aadhar India project is to be accomplished by private companies. Foreign companies may also be included in it. Hence individual data of people will not be safe.
2.Centralization of data will create various kind of problems to government and people.
3.Finding of personal details of person will become too easier. Hence this will be unsafe in terms of privacy.
4.If this is used for bank transaction or ATM cum Debit cum Credit cards, it will make easier for bad people of society to misuse them.
People will find the card as very useful tool for us but this will also create some insecurity for us. Centralization might turned to be a danger in future. Hence it is expected to keep safety of data specially as this would be electronic computer database and we specially government are facing hacking of our computer data.
Why this Blog ? News articles in the Wide World of Web, quite often disappear with time, when they are relocated as archives with a different url. Archives in this blog serve as a library for those who are interested in doing Research on Aadhaar Related Topics. Articles are published with details of original publication date and the url.
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
