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, January 3, 2018

12600 - Future of Aadhaar: How will 2018 turn out for Aadhaar? - New Bytesapp

Future of Aadhaar: How will 2018 turn out for Aadhaar?

01 Jan 2018 | By Ramya Patelkhana

The government has lately been obsessed with Aadhaar; it made mandatory the linking of Aadhaar with various schemes and services.
There have been many controversies and a lot of confusion over Aadhaar linkage.
Though the Supreme Court, which heard petitions against mandating Aadhaar, is yet to decide its fate, it's expected that Aadhaar would be the basis of almost everything next year.
Here's how!
In context: Aadhaar to be basis of everything next year
01 Jan 2018
Future of Aadhaar: How will 2018 turn out for Aadhaar?
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Supreme Court
The fate of Aadhaar will be decided in 2018
The SC will decide on the petitions before it challenging the Constitutional validity of Aadhaar Act and deliver the verdict on the right to privacy on 17 Jan'18.
But the SC didn't put a hold on the Aadhaar linking. Meanwhile, the number of services requiring Aadhaar have increased.
The court extended the Aadhaar-linkage-deadline for most services like PAN and bank accounts to 31 Mar'18.

Verdict
What if SC rules in favor of the Centre?
If the apex court's verdict on the right to privacy and Aadhaar scheme goes in favor of the Centre, allowing the mandatory Aadhaar linkages to various schemes; then such a ruling will encourage the government to use Aadhaar for several more purposes like criminal probes, too.
It will help government realize its "Digital India" dream, allowing citizens to connect with the administration online easily.
Aadhaar Scheme
What if SC doesn't allow mandatory Aadhaar?
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioners and doesn't permit the government to make Aadhaar linkage mandatory for government services/services, even then the Centre might find a way to make the Aadhaar scheme work.
It may persuade citizens to enroll in Aadhaar and link it to services voluntarily in some manner. The government might even offer incentives for the Aadhaar linkages.
Mandatory Linkages
Advantages and disadvantages of mandatory Aadhaar linkages
Aadhaar scheme will help the government work faster and become more efficient. Centre intends to curb corruption, bring transparency, and plug leaks with Aadhaar linkages.
However, it puts millions of Aadhaar cardholders at the risk of cyber-crimes. There have been reports of data breaches and misuse of personal information.
It seems the government doesn't have a foolproof system to protect the citizens' data.
Allow Aadhaar Linkages
SC might allow mandatory Aadhaar linkages
The SC is likely to allow the government to make Aadhaar mandatory, at least for some services.
For example, the apex court in June ruled that a provision making Aadhaar compulsory for income-tax assesses doesn't violate one's fundamental right to equality or to practise one's profession or trade.
So, in any case, Aadhaar is set to become the basis of almost everything next year.
Aadhaar-linked Services
Almost all services to be based on Aadhaar
More services are expected to be linked to Aadhaar next year, even in the private sector and for employment, too.
Companies like Amazon (for tracking lost packages) and Bengaluru-based Zoomcar (for booking car rentals) made Aadhaar mandatory. Even Facebook wants people to use their Aadhaar names for creating accounts.
Recruiters in the private sector have started using Aadhaar for verifying and hiring candidates.
The Trend
Aadhaar trend to continue in 2018
Many experts say that the "Aadhaar" trend will continue and in fact increase next year as it is a digital identity that makes verification of users or candidates faster and easier.
In 2018, more private firms are expected to use the 12-digit unique identity number in different ways. Aadhaar would become more vital and "spread to all spheres of life".
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