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 13, 2017

11027 - Aadhaar Articles Dated 12th April 2016



Indiatimes.com
NEW DELHI: Accounts opened from July 2014 to August, 2015 will have to submit know your customer (KYC) details and their Aadhaar number to ...



Economic Times
EPFO extends deadline for submitting Aadhaar to April 30 ... "We have extended the deadline for submission of Aadhaar by subscribers to April 30, ...






The Hindu
The only thing is that the person either should have an Aadhaar or should have applied for one; also, alternative means of identification will be ...






Frontline
The Supreme Court appears nonchalant even though the government defies its interim order and makes Aadhaar mandatory for the delivery of ...



Firstpost
In December, the satire website Faking News had carried a spoof about Aadhaar becoming compulsory for buying vegetables in Delhi. Everybody had ...



Frontline
By making Aadhaar mandatory for subsidies, pensions and a host of other benefits, the government is fast succeeding in its project to bring everyone ...






Daily News & Analysis
Ministry of Railways has decided to withdraw the implementation of Aadhaar-based ticketing system for PRS tickets (both counter and e-tickets) for ...



The Hindu
Linking Aadhar details of workers registered under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment (MGNREGS) scheme with their bank accounts has ...






Boom Live
Even as the government presses ahead with making Aadhaar the cornerstone of identity for millions of Indians, Aadhaar critics have kept up the ...






Times of Oman
Muscat: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are not entitled to an Aadhaar Card and do not require it for filing tax returns or anything else, the Indian ...






Ena India (satire) (press release) (subscription) (blog)
NEW DELHI, APRIL 12 (ENA) A lady (name not disclosed) who took her nine-year-old daughter to Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in East Delhi's New ...






Frontline
The idea behind the extensive push for Aadhaar does not seem to be addressing the real issues confronting people, that of hunger and deprivation, ...






The Economist
WHAT would Gandhi have made of Aadhaar, the ambitious scheme to provide each of India's 1.3bn residents with a unique, biometrically verifiable ...






Tech Facts Live
With effect from July 31st, citizens filing income tax returns will require an Aadhaar Card linked with their PAN Card. However, only 1.08 crore Indians ...






Deccan Herald
I didn't feel the necessity for an Aadhaar card till now since I have my passport, driving licence and voter ID card bearing the same details. But now I ...






Frontline
A closer look at the way Aadhaar data are stored reveals that the system has the potential to perpetuate caste identities. Making Aadhaar mandatory ...






The Hindu
For approximately 59.5 lakh beneficiaries, the linking of Aadhaar numbers has been done. Mobile phone numbers for around 17.7 lakh cards have ...






Indiainfoline
In respect of DBT schemes, Aadhaar is being used as a unique identifier for accurate targeting of intended beneficiaries. In case the beneficiary does ...






Finextra
Taking forward its commitment towards the Digital India movement, the company will also launch payments via UPI, Bharat QR Code and Aadhaar ...



Computerworld India
In fact, many government offices and shops in the country have introduced Aadhaar enabled biometric systems to either mark their employees' ...






Economic Times
There are around six lakh ration shop owners, who are now being roped in as business correspondents, mostly on Aadhaar-enabled payment ...






Moneycontrol.com
On the transparency front, the Bill states that driving licences and vehicle registrations would be linked to an individual's Aadhaar card details.



Times of India
"We are in touch with banks to seed the bank accounts of all ration card holders whose Aadhaar card numbers seeding has already been completed.






Frontline
The Aadhaar project's headlong push towards “total” enrolment of Indian citizens threatens the privacy of individuals on an unprecedented scale, ...






Oneindia
Dubey said using Aadhaar card, some of these people were staying illegally in the country and trying to obtain citizenship, which was a matter of ...