March 19, 2016
Aadhaar Bill and privacy
Privacy is a basic requirement in order to lead a dignified human life and the right to life implies this vital aspect, although it might not have been specifically spelt out in the Constitution (“Privacy is a fundamental right”, March 18). It is not correct to say that only lawbreakers should be scared of the possibility of an invasion of privacy. Unless there are checks and balances, a person’s Aadhaar number can become a standard data point in all business, banking and legal transactions when related to investments, payments, permits, taxes, property deals, hospital payments, document registration and travel. All aspects to do with life and health can be probed with leads made accessible through Aadhaar. Our data systems are not secure and watertight and the people who maintain these systems are vulnerable to pressures and inducements.
A.N. Lakshmanan, Bengaluru
The Aadhaar scheme has been “sold to us” as a tool exclusively meant for the disbursement of subsidies. As part of this, millions of people have registered their biometric details. Now the Opposition feels that the privacy of a billion people could be compromised and agencies could misuse data to profile and target an individual (Editorial, March 18). Why has it become a regular feature that when something good is introduced there is always opposition to it without proper reasoning?
C.K. Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai
The writer’s claim that the newly enacted Aadhaar Bill compromises personal privacy is curious. Today the government can tap anybody’s telephone or conduct electronic surveillance of anyone without the help of Aadhaar data. No one’s privacy is sacrosanct or inviolable. Even in the U.S., one of the most advanced liberal democracies, personal privacy is under serious threat as the ongoing Apple Inc. versus FBI stand-off shows.
C.B. Ravi, Chennai
The right of privacy is well established in international law. The core privacy principle in modern law may be found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 12. Besides this, philosophers and ethicists have described privacy as an indispensable characteristic of personal freedom. No group has a greater stake in the protection of privacy than the new inhabitants of cyberspace. Let us enjoy the benefits of the future while preserving the freedoms of our past.
K.M.K. Murthy, Kochi