AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 11268 - Stop demonising Aadhaar

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

Sunday, May 7, 2017

11268 - Stop demonising Aadhaar - Telengana Today

Stop demonising Aadhaar

Published: 6th May 2017 12:30 am Updated: 6th May 2017 12:35 am

Invoking the Orwellian images of State surveillance to oppose the Aadhaar card system is wholly irrational and misplaced. To think that an identification tool for streamlining citizen services will automatically amount to usurping citizens’ rights is a warped notion, particularly in this technology-driven age. While genuine concerns over privacy issues need to be addressed, the importance of having a robust and fool-proof scientific database of citizens, with unique identification numbers, cannot be ignored.

Any attempt to give an ideological spin to the ongoing debate over Aadhaar and turning it into a ‘State versus civil rights’ face-off is a self-defeating exercise. It would be a great disservice to the people if modern transparency tools are blocked in the garb of protecting individual rights. Aadhaar is essentially an e-governance tool to help streamline the systems, eliminate leakages and bogus claims, rationalise welfare schemes and bring all citizens under the ambit of formal economy. However, concerns are being raised over privacy and security issues if Aadhaar is linked to PAN card and made mandatory for income tax returns. It is argued that since there are no safeguards at present to prevent misuse or leakage of citizens’ data, Aadhaar should not be made mandatory for I-T assessment and welfare schemes.

While the question whether Aadhaar should be voluntary or mandatory will be decided by the Supreme Court, the nation needs to repose faith in the teams of talented and dedicated professionals who are tirelessly working on a robust and error-free system that is meant for larger public good.

Since its inception in 2009, the biometric-based resident identification programme has met with scepticism amid fears over data violation and breach of privacy. The problems of identity theft, fraud and misrepresentation are real concerns that need to be fixed. While there is a strong case for a national law for data privacy and protection, rejecting the Aadhaar system on the grounds of possible privacy breach is like throwing the baby with the bathwater. An identification number is the best way to make government spending on welfare more efficient and ensure that benefits reach the needy.

Since there were many instances in the past where people held multiple PAN numbers to evade taxes, linking Aadhaar with PAN card will actually go a long way in curbing tax evasion and black money.

As on April 15 this year, over 113 crore Indians, accounting for 88% of the total population, have an Aadhaar number. Already, the programme has helped in eliminating bogus beneficiaries of welfare schemes, resulting in a saving of Rs 50,000 crore to the exchequer. It is clear that Aadhaar can plug leakages in social welfare schemes and must be implemented vigorously while simultaneously putting in place enough safeguards.