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 6, 2017

10974 - Aadhaar Articles dated 4th April 2017



Financial Times
Sir, Further to Amy Kazmin's New Delhi Notebook (“Look me in the eye and reveal my secrets”, March 28): I understand her concerns over having ...






Swarajya
Aadhaar is a winner, the biggest killer-app India has designed in the modern age. We can't let go of this advantage we created by blundering into it.



Economic Times
Security concerns pertaining to Aadhaar are misplaced and the system is robust and secure, Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar ...






Economic Times
The initiative, christened Aadhaar Pay, is a biometric-based payment system that will allow an Aadhaar-linked account holder carry out all his banking ...



The Hindu
The Aadhaar enrolment centre in Kadri, Mangaluru, was closed for want of GPS connection on Monday, causing inconvenience to people who came ...






Zee Business
This move comes after a riot on social media last week over the online publication of personal information such as Aadhaar numbers, bank account ...



Business Standard
Aadhaar is definitely a move forward; there is no question about that. You need it to help provide efficient government services. Leaving aside any ...






The New Indian Express
VELLORE: Aadhaar-based ticketing system announced by the Indian Railways from April 1 to provide concession for senior citizens has failed to take ...






Biometric Update
According to an article in ieNation, 88.2% of India has now has been registered under the Aadhaar biometric identity program. Aadhaar is the 12-digit ...



Hindustan Times
“For the semester exams of academic session 2016-17, it is mandatory for students to submit their Aadhaar card details as we will be marking ...






Bangalore Mirror
At a time when the universal validity of Aadhaar is being hotly debated, the government is making it mandatory for people who visit the state's prisons ...






Times of India
KOLHAPUR: The state electricity utility firm will link the Aadhaar details of agricultural and powerloom consumers to update its database and to directly ...






Deccan Herald
“Measures like linking Aadhaar to vehicle registration will help check registration of stolen vehicles. The move will also help in the portability and ...






Economic Times
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is working closely with its Indian counterpart on net neutrality, which it ...






Trak.in (blog)
One of the most important changes mentioned under this new Bill is making Aadhaar as a mandatory requirement for filing Income Tax. Here are 8 ...






Swarajya
Amidst the noise over the Centre making Aadhaar mandatory for filing Income Tax Returns as well as other processes including getting a new phone ...








The Wire
Aadhaar is premised on the infallibility and security of an individual's biometric data – her fingerprints and iris scans. But that is just a myth.





Financial Express
cashless transactions, digital payment products, JAM Trinity, Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar Considered in a proper historical and comparative perspective, ...






Deccan Chronicle
3) Aadhaar, a unique identity handed out to all Indians, has been made compulsory for applying for a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card as well ...






MediaNama.com
With this integration, all savings account customers of ICICI Bank who have mapped their Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts can register and ...






The Echo of India
Take the case of Aadhaar where it is prepared to flout the Supreme Court's directions. And a full bench of the apex court would later in the year ...






Economic Times
Integration with agencies such as CBEC, Aadhaar, and MCA-21 will ensure more authenticity and a robust verification process,” said the tender ...






Calcutta Telegraph
They coincide with demands the government has made for greater transparency from ordinary citizens, such as through the Aadhaar card.






Business Standard
Hindu Yuva Vahini, the oraganisation set up in 2002 by Yogi Adityanath, now the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, is receiving a huge number of ...






Financial Express
The former captain was in a news recently after CSC e-governance Services India Ltd tweeted a picture scanning his finger and getting his Aadhaar ...