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

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

695 - The dream of multiple-biometric IDs may become a reality in India - Computer World

By Bart Perkins
October 11, 2010 06:00 AM ET

Computerworld - A ubiquitous identification system based on multiple biometrics has until now existed only in Hollywood movies. Today, India is attempting to make it a reality. Can the Indians pull it off?

The Unique Identification Authority of India's Aadhaar program, referred to as UID, will provide identity cards for that nation's 1.2 billion citizens. India's government now issues multiple special-purpose IDs, including a Permanent Account Number for income tax transactions, an Electors Photo Identity Card for voting, ration cards, health care cards, driver's licenses and passports. The UID will eventually replace all of those. The UID system will process hundreds of thousands of identity validation requests each second, against the world's largest database of individuals.

It's a huge project, with an estimated cost of $2.2 to $4.4 billion.

The UID will use multiple types of biometric data for identification, including retina scans, fingerprints for all 10 fingers, and multiple facial images. The system is so complex that no single company has all the required skills to develop it. A consortium of Accenture, MindTree (India), Daon (Ireland), and Neurotechnology (Lithuania) designed the biometric data capture, categorization, storage and retrieval processes.

he UID will yield significant benefits. Indians will need only one ID document for government services, banking and more. This is especially important for India's poor, many of whom can't access needed services because they can't prove their identity. Moreover, the government expects to save $4.3 billion annually with UID. By cross-referencing current systems and deduplicating databases, the government expects fraud to decline tremendously. The system will also reduce administrative costs associated with issuing multiple IDs and maintaining incompatible ID systems.

Critics, though, point to technological difficulties, compounded by social and environmental challenges. More than 70% of India's citizens live in villages with spotty electricity, and they may be wary of smart-card readers, say critics. And given India's 30% illiteracy rate, many people will be unable to read prompts. In addition, an environment that includes dust, large temperature swings and monsoons requires rugged and highly reliable equipment.

Other critics fear erosion of civil liberties. Misused, a national database could allow police or intelligence groups to discriminate against people by caste, religion or birthplace. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Numerous social studies show that knowledge of these identifiers adversely impacts delivery of services such as education and health care to disadvantaged citizens." Others worry that security will be inadequate. In November 2009, WikiLeaks published an internal working paper stating, "The UID Database will be susceptible to attacks and leaks at various levels."

Critics' arguments notwithstanding, IT organizations worldwide should monitor this impressive project. Begun in 2009, the 18-month initiative is a month ahead of schedule; pilot deployments begin this fall. If successful, the Aadhaar will have several byproducts. Other countries will likely adapt and adopt India's technology. In addition, the lesser-known companies contributing to the UID project will gain global recognition. And the concept of multiple-biomarker identification tools will be catapulted out of the movies and into everyday use. How long until your CEO demands them in your company's security systems?

Bart Perkins is managing partner at Louisville, Ky.-based Leverage Partners Inc., which helps organizations invest well in IT. Contact him at BartPerkins@LeveragePartners.com.