AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 12681 - Aadhaar Articles Dated 16th January 2018

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

Saturday, January 20, 2018

12681 - Aadhaar Articles Dated 16th January 2018

Aadhaar number details: Yet another 'leak' UIDAI needs to fix

Economic Times

While checking the status on UIDAI's website there is a security feature in the form of a one-time password (OTP) sent to the mobile number registered for that Aadhaar in the records of UIDAI. Therefore, only the actual holder of the mobile number registered with the Aadhaar can supply the OTP and then ...

Aadhaar to roll out facial recognition as 'additional security feature' - The News Minute

Aadhaar: Enabling a form of supersurveillance - The Hindu

Deadline for linking Aadhaar may get extended after introduction of new security features - Moneycontrol.com

Army to launch Aadhaar-based grievance redressal system

Economic Times

The Indian Army will launch a new online grievance redressal system which will be based on Aadhaar number, Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on ... "A new Aadhaar-based mobile application is being developed, through which every soldier will be able to post his grievances online, and it would be ...

Centre looks at Aadhaar to track out-of-school children

Economic Times

While state education department will be responsible for getting Aadhaar IDs for children in government schools, district collectors will have to ensure that children not in school are allotted Aadhaar too. This will have to be done in collaboration with panchayats and local administrative units.

After mid-day meal, Centre extends use of Aadhaar to track out-of-school children - Moneycontrol.com

India's digital ID project 'Aadhaar' could violate rights of millions, campaigners say

Geo News, Pakistan

India launched Aadhaar, now the world's biggest biometric database, in 2009 to streamline welfare payments and cut wastage in public spending. The government has since made the card mandatory to access a range of services, including benefits such as state subsidies, pensions and scholarships.

Aadhaar has built a strong base for India's digital achievements - Hindustan Times

Health insurance renewal without Aadhaar cannot be denied till March 31

Economic Times

However, in a circular issued by the insurance regulator to all insurance companies, the date by which policyholders have to submit their Aadhaar and PAN numbers to the insurers has been mentioned as March 31, 2018. So, if you are asked to furnish your Aadhaar while renewing your insurance ...

Aadhaar face verification, Amala Paul tax evasion and other top stories of the day

The Hindu

The Unique Identification Authority of India, the Aadhaar-issuing authority, has decided to enable face recognition as another means of authentication from July 1, 2018. India, Israel ink nine pacts. Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on a six-day visit, dubbed the India-Israel relationship as a ...

APGVB to set up 76 Aadhaar enrolment centres

Hindu Business Line

Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) will be setting up 76 Aadhaar enrolment centres in the two Telugu states. Out of these, 50 will be in Telangana, while 26 will come up in Andhra Pradesh constituting 10 per cent of APGVB's branch network. This facility will also useful for customers to ...

Face recognition to enhance Aadhaar security

Moneylife

An AUA may be government/public/private legal agency registered in India that uses Aadhaar authentication. ... Aadhaar authentication is being used as the primary identity verification mechanism by many systems such as banks, telecom companies, PDS, Income Tax Department, employees ...