2nd November 2010
By Gunjan Singh
The unique identification project of India (UID project of India) or Aadhar project of India is once again in controversies. On the one hand both Aadhar project and UIDAI are “unconstitutional” project and authority respectively whereas on the other hand UID project is an endemic e-surveillance tool without any lawful interception law in India.
Aadhar project is managed by Nandan Nilekani led unique identification authority of India (UIDAI) without any legal framework and Parliamentary approval. Astonishingly, UIDAI has not fulfilled even a single promise it made in its declared policy. For instance, there is no data protection and privacy law in India as promised by UIDAI.
Further, UIDAI is also backing away from its open technological standards. The Kerala state has been forced to use a client enrolment software that is compatible with Windows alone, which is a proprietary software by Microsoft. UIDAI has in its policy declared that there would be no vendor lock-in. It seems UIDAI has not fulfilled its promise once again.
Even there is little hope that the data and crucial personal details of Indians would be safe in the hands of UIDAI or its partners. With a very poor track record of cyber security in India and ineffective e-governance in India, not much can be expected.
Aadhar project is managed by Nandan Nilekani led unique identification authority of India (UIDAI) without any legal framework and Parliamentary approval. Astonishingly, UIDAI has not fulfilled even a single promise it made in its declared policy. For instance, there is no data protection and privacy law in India as promised by UIDAI.
Further, UIDAI is also backing away from its open technological standards. The Kerala state has been forced to use a client enrolment software that is compatible with Windows alone, which is a proprietary software by Microsoft. UIDAI has in its policy declared that there would be no vendor lock-in. It seems UIDAI has not fulfilled its promise once again.
Even there is little hope that the data and crucial personal details of Indians would be safe in the hands of UIDAI or its partners. With a very poor track record of cyber security in India and ineffective e-governance in India, not much can be expected.