AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7773 - Aadhaar goes to orphanages, joins war on child trafficking

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015

7773 - Aadhaar goes to orphanages, joins war on child trafficking - Bangalore Mirror

Aadhaar goes to orphanages, joins war on child trafficking

By Kushala S, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Apr 14, 2015, 04.00 AM IST

According to UIDAI officials, all child care institutes in the state will be covered. So far, of the 3,965 children, 3,014 have been enrolled

For all the rightful indignation over Aadhaar scheme, this is one infringement of privacy that will probably be considered welcome. The Aadhaar campaign by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is entering a significant phase of reaching out to all those in the age-group 6 to 18 in child care institutes and juvenile homes in the state.

Aadhaar's comprehensive database that comprises iris (retina scan) and biometric (fingerprint) information is hoped to aid enforcement agencies find missing children, curb human trafficking and check illegal adoptions. Aadhaar enrolments have begun in Karnataka for children in child care institutes run by the state government's Department of Women and Child Development. Nearly 4,000 kids and youngsters are in care of state homes and will get identity cards.

Apart from aiding in demographic mapping, this information can also be used by the police. Under the authentication service, UIDAI will distribute data to law enforcement agencies that will use it to identify missing/runaway children.

For instance, police stations will store the data, and when children are found abandoned or boys running away from juvenile homes are caught by the police, their iris and biometrics will be matched with the data.

According to UIDAI officials, all child care institutes in the state will be covered. So far, of the 3,965 children, 3,014 have been enrolled. These institutes (orphanages, juvenile homes, etc) house children aged between six and 18. If the parents' details are available they will be entered in Aadhaar, otherwise a certificate issued by a gazetted officer (in-charge of the institute) will serve as valid proof of identity and proof of address.

"Children living in these institutes have no proof of identity. As they grow up, apart from a host of physiological problems, they also suffer from an identity crisis. Bringing them under Aadhaar will not only give them an identity, it will also record their history with us for future reference. We are enrolling children in Shishugriha where they are put up for adoption. This will check illegal adoptions and help the government monitor the children.

Under UIDAI rules, a child above one can be brought under Aadhaar,'' a senior officer from department of women and child development told Bangalore Mirror.

If the child is below five, iris scans and biometrics will not be recorded and these cards will be linked to orphanage superintendents. Once they are above five, their biometrics and iris scans can be done and the cards updated. At 15, the biometric data is taken again and a permanent Aadhaar card will be issued.

MAPPING PARENTLESS CHILDREN

For enrolment executives, registering children's details was quite a different experience. When asked for details like parents' name, phone numbers, addresses, and other personal details, these children were flummoxed. Some did not know their actual age and date of birth. But the most exciting part for the children was during retina and fingerprint scan which they enjoyed and insisted on seeing the scan on monitors. Some older children repeatedly asked if this card could be used to travel abroad or get an engineering seat. Some of them wanted to know if these cards could be used as debit or credit cards.