AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 12343 - Threat on the phone (also why linking Aadhar data is a terrible idea

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, November 9, 2017

12343 - Threat on the phone (also why linking Aadhar data is a terrible idea

Threat on the phone (also why linking Aadhar data is a terrible idea)

Sukesh ( name Changed)

So I just got a threat on the phone (also why linking Aadhar data is a terrible idea). Might be a bit long but please read carefully lest it happen to you as well:

So I just got a call from a random cell phone number in Delhi. The man asked if this was Mr. Sukesh. When I said yes, he said he's calling from "Master Visa Credit Card" and said my bank is offering me some benefits. When I asked him "what bank are you calling from?" he says "Nope, I'm not calling from a bank. I'm calling from your card issuer "Master Visa".

It, obviously, sounded like a fraud and I wanted to know what exactly their modus operandi was so I kept talking. He went on narrating a few "benefits" and then asked if I understood what he'd said. Then he said he was going to transfer my call to an IVR line for some details. It didn't seem to work for some reason so I said I'm not interested anymore. He suddenly said "You can't back out now because you're going to be charged 8000 rupees on your next card statement. I laughed and asked him why he was calling from a cell phone if he represents a legit company. He said "I'll call you back from a landline".

He called me from a landline immediately. Then he said the name of his company is "Easypay" and is based out of Sigore Garden, New Delhi. So I went ahead and asked him how he was planning to charge my credit card. He said "it happens through an IVR. Do you know what an IVR is?" At this point I couldn't control my laughter. I said "Dude I know this is a fraud. I'm not interested and you'd better not do this again".

He flares up. I mean he literally starts screaming. And then he says in Hindi "rukh. Tujhe dekh loonga. Tujhe dikhaata hun main kaun hun" (Just wait. I'll fix you. I'll show you who I am"). I laughed and asked him to keep talking. He said he's gonna hang up now and I'm now gonna have to bear the consequences.

The cell phone number was +91-9911 229859 and the dude's name was Praveen. The landline number was 011-4015 8025. I tried calling back on both numbers and the cell phone is switched off and the landline says its busy. A little bit of snooping showed me that there's indeed some credit card agency contracted by banks operating out of a flat in Sigore Gardens in New Delhi called "Easy Pay 4 U".

THIS is why linking Aadhar to your bank accounts is dangerous. Why? Because banks in India irresponsibly share your personal information with the dodgiest of crooks. This man knew my name. Who knows what other personal info he has? If this is the level of data protection in India, then God bless us all because it doesn't take much for someone to find out your address, your details, and then do whatever they wish to do with you.

The fact that random fraudsters have our personal details and blatantly threaten us with violence on the phone is a matter of grave concern. I don't even know if this was a mere financial fraud or something more sinister. The Government of India needs to answer how our personal info has suddenly become accessible to such criminals. In addition, the govt. now wants you to link your Aadhar with cell phones and everything else. Is the government waiting for a disaster to happen before it takes serious note of data privacy?????

I usually don't ask this but I'd really like if you'd share this. This is a case of someone accessing my personal data through a service provider and issuing a threat on the phone. Considering the audacity of these criminals, the government needs to wake up before these people hurt someone.