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

Friday, September 13, 2013

4593 - India's Aadhaar touts instant mobile connections - ZD Net

India's Aadhaar touts instant mobile connections

Summary: Indian government's biometric Aadhaar initiative potentially can be used to support instant mobile connections across the country by year-end, but its use is limited since it's not mandatory to have an Aadhaar card.

By Nitin Puri for Mobile India | September 10, 2013 -- 07:54 GMT (17:54 AEST)

Follow @NitinZDNet

The Indian government is finalizing standards by year-end that it says will allow existing and new Aadhaar cardholders to instantly receive a new mobile connection by using their biometric ID card.

According to a report by Zeenews.com, retailers can scan fingerprints and match these with existing fingerprints on file at point of sale (POS). Once verified, a mobile connection will instantly be approved. 

This process currently takes longer as a physical visit by a representative from the Indian mobile operator is required to verify and approve connections. Usually, this process can take three to five working days, which clearly isn't an effective process. However, in light of security issues and the almost imminent threat of terrorist attacks, verification measures were changed after the Mumbai attacks in December 2008.

This process will also reduce the amount of paperwork required by retailers, customers, and Indian mobile operators, as the POS will automate the entire registration process. However, additional documents will still be required, such as a valid driving license or passport.

Eventually, the goal of the Indian government is to make mobile connections available only with the use of an Aadhaar card. So far, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, and Vodafone are onboard in their support for the initiative. As for the remaining mobile operators, eventually they'll have to come on board too. In the interest of both accountability and accuracy by the Indian mobile operators to ensure they have the right subscriber information, using the Aadhaar card probably is the best solution in India.

However, here's the sticking point: It's not mandatory to have an Aadhaar card in India. This obviously raises the question about Indians who want to obtain mobile connections but don't have an Aadhaar card. One would assume the current application process will remain, but the Indian government is moving toward issuing mobile connections only on Aadhaar card registrations.
Furthermore, what about foreigners and tourists who come to India. How will they able to obtain a mobile connection as they have no Indian ID to begin with? The easiest way around this is to get a friend in India to simply register a new mobile connection for you, but the government is going to limit the number of SIM cards allowed to be registered under one person's ID.

It will be interesting to see in the coming months if this streamlined process is indeed a more effective and secure method for issuing new mobile connections, or whether it will prove to be just be another headache, especially for those who don't have an Aadhaar card.

And even those who apply for an Aadhaar card would have to endure an average waiting time of about three to six months to receive it--courtesy of the Indian government. 

Topics: Security, Telcos, India

About Nitin Puri

Originally from Canada, Nitin has been residing and working in India since 2009. He has worked in different ICT industries in countries such as India, Canada, and Tanzania. He is an avid follower and application developer within the growing mobile phone sector in India.
CLICK ON TITLE TO SEE ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Posted by