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

Monday, January 22, 2018

12713 - Supreme Court Constitution bench begins hearing pleas against Aadhaar - Live Mint

Supreme Court Constitution bench begins hearing pleas against Aadhaar

A total of 29 petitions against Aadhaar have been tagged by the Supreme Court to be heard by the Constitution bench
The petitions challenge several aspects of Aadhaar and the use/sharing of data collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
The petitions challenge several aspects of Aadhaar and the use/sharing of data collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
New Delhi: A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court began hearing petitions against the Aadhaar programme on Wednesday, with one lawyer describing it in opening arguments as a “giant electronic mesh”.
Lawyer Shyam Divan said Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identity number, was an instrument that “enabled the state to profile its citizens, track their movements and affect their social behaviour”.
If the programme is allowed to operate unimpeded, it would hollow out the Constitution, Divan warned. A people’s Constitution would turn into a state Constitution because of the mass surveillance it would entrench, he said.
The hearings began before a Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and justices A.K. Sikri, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan.
The bench was formed in December to hear arguments on the constitutional validity of the 12-digit biometric identification number that is assigned by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Aadhaar has now become the bedrock of government welfare programmes, the tax administration network and online financial transactions.
A total of 29 petitions have been tagged by the Supreme Court to be heard by the Constitution bench. They challenge several aspects of Aadhaar and the use/sharing of data collected by UIDAI.
Petitioners have challenged making Aadhaar mandatory for availing of social welfare benefits and filing of income tax returns (ITRs) as well as for obtaining and retaining the Permanent Account Number (PAN) required for filing ITRs. They have also cited the potential for infringement of an individual’s right to privacy.
Divan said the issues surrounding Aadhaar should be tested against constitutional principles.
“The collection of biometric data was patently illegal, and that could not have been corrected by passing the Aadhaar Act. Besides, it leaves behind an electronic trail and operates as a pervasive system. Can my body be used as a marker in a government programme?” Divan asked, explaining to the Constitution bench how authenticating identity works under the Aadhaar programme.
At this, justice Chandrachud wondered if Aadhaar could be considered safe if the biometric information was used only for the purpose for which it was collected.
“Why can’t the state say it is a valid state interest to ensure that social benefits reach the right hands through the programme,” Chandrachud asked. Divan said he would address this issue in detail at a later stage. 
Some of the issues posed by the petitioners to the court are: does the Constitution of India sanction the creation of a surveillance state; does an individual’s personal autonomy extend to biometrics covering finger prints and iris scans; is the collection of biometric information of citizens backed by the rule of law?
Two new pleas challenging Aadhaar—one by the West Bengal government on the mandatory linking of Aadhaar to various schemes and another challenging its mandatory linking with mobile numbers—have also been brought before the court.
The Constitution bench was set up on 13 December after repeated attempts by petitioners for an early hearing on the issue of mandatory Aadhaar linking with bank accounts, mobile phone numbers and other services. 
Two days later, the court granted interim relief, extending the deadline for linking of Aadhaar with mobile services and opening of new bank accounts to 31 March 2018.
The new deadline would also be applicable to the schemes of ministries/departments of the Union government as well as those of state governments, the court ruled.
In a path-breaking ruling on 24 August 2017, the apex court held that privacy is a fundamental right. In the process, it set the stage for the introduction of a privacy law; the government has appointed an expert group under former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna to make recommendations. 
The petitioners will continue with their arguments on Thursday.