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, January 20, 2017

10724 - Thumbs up to cash oxygen - Biometric ATMs debut - Telegraph India


Our Correspondent

Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar launches an Oxigen micro ATM, with a biometric appendage (circled), at Indraprastha Petrol Pump in Dhurwa, Ranchi, on Tuesday. (Hardeep Singh)
Ranchi, Dec. 13: 

Your bank is now at your fingertips. Literally so.
Oxigen Services, one of India's payment solutions providers, has launched biometric micro ATMs that allow people to withdraw small amounts of money from their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts by means of thumb impression.
The primary objective is to help people at the grassroots who may not have bank cards to swipe or aren't tech-savvy enough to use e-wallets on smartphones. To promote the facility in semi-urban settlements, the micro payment agency has also teamed up with Indian Oil Corporation so that fuel bunks can host these special point of sale machines.

Aslam Sher Khan, manager of Oxigen Services in Ranchi, said there were 22 business establishments in the capital and on its outskirts that had embraced biometric micro ATMs. "The IOC has tied up with us. Today, we launched a device at Indraprastha Petrol Pump in Dhurwa."
Using the biometric ATM is child's play, said Khan. "Suppose, you can't pay the grocer in cash and are not tech-savvy to use cards or e-wallets. What do you do? All you need is a bank account linked to your unique ID or Aadhaar number while the grocer should have one of our biometric machines. Give your thumb impression, choose your bank and account number, and you are done," he explained.
Sanjay Kumar, who owns a mobile accessories store at Kishoreganj Chowk, has installed an Oxigen micro ATM. "People can both pay through these machines or withdraw petty cash. Kishoreganj has a large working class population - people who do not have debit cards or smartphones. Their weekly need is Rs 200-300. They now come to my shop," he said.
Explaining how people are using the Oxigen device, Sanjay said, "A customer may need to recharge phone, pay bill or withdraw money. Most come to withdraw small amounts. Once the machine reads the thumb impression, the screen shows bank and account options linked to Aadhaar. The person transfers money to me online and I pay them hard cash."
Although the maximum daily withdrawal limit from micro ATMs is Rs 2,000, the shopkeeper said people who use the biometric system hardly demand more than Rs 500.
Oxigen Services is providing the biometric point of sale machines to traders at Rs 8,000 each. "A trader receive Re 1 as incentive per transaction from the associated bank. We are eyeing new clients in Nagri, where the state government is pushing for a cashless village. We may launch our service in Nagri as early as tomorrow," manager Khan added.
With the competition hotting up, e-wallet Paytm, which has over 9,000 users in Ranchi alone - from vegetable vendors at Daily Market to Kaveri Restaurant, is mulling its facilities for basic phones too.
"We understand that there are many people who do not have smartphones; so, the company will soon float a number that can be used by basic phone users to access our services," said Avinash Kumar, manager of Paytm in Ranchi.