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

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

2490 - Govt may amend Act to make Aadhaar data valid ID proof - LIVE MINT

Govt may amend Act to make Aadhaar data valid ID proof


Move could save banks significant money spent on record-checking and documentation

Remya Nair & Surabhi Agarwal

New Delhi: In what could usher in an era of paper-less, real-time authentication, the finance ministry is looking into allowing online Aadhaar authentication as a valid proof of identity for opening bank accounts



The ministry is considering an amendment to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, or PMLA, to recognize online Aadhaar data to satisfy know-your-customer (KYC) requirements.

This will pave the way for electronic, low-cost customer acquisition for banks and other financial institutions, saving them significant money spent on physical record-checking and documentation.

It will also be a major fillip to the Nandan Nilekani-led unique identification number project as it has pitched for online verification as the basis for delivering various private and government services, including welfare payments and direct transfer of cash subsidies.

A letter containing the Aadhaar number is already considered a valid KYC document for opening bank accounts after the finance ministry amended the PMLA in December 2010, placing it on par with a passport, driving licence and the permanent account number, or PAN, and voter identity cards.

Once PMLA is amended to include online Aadhaar verification, a customer can approach a bank branch and give his unique identity number and biometric details to open an account, which will be electronically authenticated through the Aadhaar database.

Data confirming the resident’s demographic and biometric data can then be treated as a valid KYC and further manual verification of this digitally signed response will not be required.

“We had included the letter of Aadhaar containing the name, address and number as an official valid document in PMLA. Now we are looking into whether the electronic Aadhaar authentication can also be included as a valid KYC,” said a finance ministry official who did not want to be identified. “In principle, we have no objections to this.”

The finance ministry has written to all entities, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Financial Intelligence Unit and the home ministry for their views on the safety aspects of such a move, he said.

The transition, however, may not come easy as banks are required under PMLA to maintain a certified copy of an officially valid document in their records.

“Under PMLA, banks are supposed to keep a certified copy of the address proof in their records. But, with only a Aadhaar number, it is not possible. So we are working with UIDAI (Unique Identity Authority of India) to see if it’s possible that banks can capture the information from the online database and store it for their records,” the official said.

“The finance ministry is positively disposed towards this now and have asked us for clarifications on the processes being followed,” said a UIDAI official involved in the discussions. “We are working on it.”

On the issue of keeping physical records of KYC documents, the official said the authority is trying to come up with a solution and it should not be difficult.
UIDAI’s online verification service, which is free for all users till December 2013, went live in February. “Online verification will save banks hundreds of crores which they spend on record-keeping and will enable an ecosystem of a common KYC for the entire financial sector,” said the UIDAI official.
The task force on Aadhaar-enabled unified payment structure, which presented its report to the finance minister in February, had also recommended that both the Aadhaar letter and the electronic authentication be treated as sufficient proof of identity and proof of address.

All financial regulators (RBI, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, Securities Exchange Board of India, and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority) should issue notifications along the same lines for all financial products, the task force had said.

“Once the banks’ systems are connected to the Aadhaar platform, banks will be able to transmit the details of the customer to UIDAI and get it verified. Banks will not need to maintain separate records and this will reduce the cost of operations,” said M. Narendra, chairman and managing director of Indian Overseas Bank. “Electronic authentication will help both at the time of account opening and for maintaining subsequent records.”
He added that banks will have to ensure “they are able to transmit and receive data from UIDAI database in a fool-proof manner.”
remya.n@livemint.com


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