AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 11835 - How to protect data in era of less privacy and identity theft

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

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

11835 - How to protect data in era of less privacy and identity theft - Indian Express

How to protect data in era of less privacy and identity theft

By Dia Rekhi | Express News Service | Published: 20th August 2017 01:21 AM |

Last Updated: 20th August 2017 07:46 AM | A+A A- |

CHENNAI: “Could I have your name and number, ma'am?” the cashier at the clothes store asks politely.
“Of course!” the eager shopper replies and rattles off her name and 10 holy digits linked to everything from bank accounts to food delivery apps.

This shopper could have been any Indian who is always looking to gain ‘loyalty points’ to get a freebie or discount — if not immediately, at least in time for Diwali. But, does an average Indian shopper stop to think of how their safety and security are being jeopardised while trying to make a quick buck?

“I give my name and number at all shops and restaurants,” says K Soumya (name changed), who works at a bank. “The reason I give out my details is simple: I want a discount the next time I come back to shop or eat. Sometimes it is also to genuinely give feedback to the restaurant manager. I never perceived it to be risky which is why I did it.”

This lack of awareness about the ill-effects of compromising on privacy is leading to a number of issues like data theft and cyber fraud. “We have to realise that we should not trade our privacy for a few extra rupees,” says Pavan Duggal, a Supreme Court lawyer and cyber law expert. “Giving out information at stores and restaurants is like walking into an open-ended net. It must be completely avoided. Stores monetise your data and may also share that data with other parties. You are a product for them, after all, so why must you trade your data? It is a losing bargain!”

‘Privacy’ has been the buzzword ever since the Supreme Court in July said the word is an ‘amorphous’ term, and not an absolute right that can prevent the State from making laws imposing reasonable restrictions on citizens. This becomes particularly important as petitions challenging Aadhaar say biometric data like iris scans and fingerprints violate a citizens’ privacy.

Making a case against Aadhaar, cyber law expert Na Vijayashankar says n a bid to simplify and ensure a seamless system, Aadhaar is resulting in the unification of risk, becoming a single point of vulnerability. “Aadhaar is a recipe for disaster,” says Vijayashanker. “It primarily uses a citizen’s mobile number and biometric details. While our biometric information is supposed to be safe, with the right software, it is possible that data can be siphoned before it gets sent to the encryption application, in a matter of a microsecond. Further, these biometric devices are Chinese devices which are known to have embedded chips that can be accessed by fraudsters.”