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, March 21, 2018

13016 - Are your Aadhar details available on a Google search? - SIFY

Are your Aadhar details available on a Google search? 

Source : SIFY 
Last Updated: Sun, Mar 18, 2018 17:43 hrs


Read more at: http://www.sify.com/finance/are-your-aadhar-details-available-on-a-google-search-news-finance-sdroRhhhecche.html

The Supreme Court may have directed the government to stop pushing Aadhar seeding for essential services, but there is no respite for Aadhar's security concerns. Elliott Alderson, a security researcher tweeted on Friday that more Aadhar numbers were available on Google Search results. This indicates the Aadhar's failing security standards. It may not appear as a grave concern at the moment. 

Aadhar card along with a second identification is sufficient to open a bank account, claim government benefits, and a host of other fictititious transactions including applying for a newer loan. 

Imagine a bank calls to inform you that EMIs for a motor loan that you took have not been repaid, or worse a transaction in your name wired to the Panama Islands or even Syria. 

Worse, you dont have a credit card, nor have you initiated any of those transactions. Does it sound dangerous? That is indeed the similar level of concern for Aadhar card details landing online on Google search results. 

Imposters and Fraudsters could use these details and either create a fake profile or mine additional details and defraud bank accounts of innocent people. 

Alderson's tweet should hence act as a warning signal, not only to those managing the government's large Aadhar project, but also individual registrants on the portal. 

Alderson tweeted, "Hi @UIDAI and @ceo_uidai, it’s time for you to force your partners to handle #Aadhaar cards in a secure way. If you make a google search query with one of this line you will find thousands of #Aadhaar card. @UIDAI: It’s time to admit that this is not OK and to work on a fix." He suggested that besides the security concerns on Aadhar's own portals, crucial details such as PAN card, driver license were leaked everywhere online. 

Alderson, claims to be a French vigilante and may be using a fictional name. Here is his tweet: In case you are keen to track the privacy of your Aadhar number. Here is what you could do. 

1. Try the search first on Google, you could also use Advanced Google (Opens in new window) 2. Type the following parameters: 'inurl:gov.in' 'filetype: pdf' 3. You could also use the following keywords: 'Mera Aadhar, Meri Pehchaan filetype:pdf' and/or '"MERA AADHAR, MERI PEHCHAAN" file type:pdf' and/or 'Aam aadmi ka Adhikar filetype:pdf' A handful media outlets suggested adding intext: "Your Aadhar No." to the search portal, but there are chances that your surfing details or history may get captured in search queries. In case you use the Aadhar number, there is a possibility that it may end up as a stored query. You could use your name and keep your Aadhar card secure even from search queries. It will be a wiser practice to open Chrome in an incognito tab in order to prevent your history from being tracked. 

Based on a search, Sify.com could track Aadhar details from a handful websites. Here are some details: 

1. Pension details of Puducherry have been put up. Names have not been revealed, but a corresponding column reveals bank account and transaction details. 

2. Details of companies, Directors, Driving License, Pan Card are available on search portals. 

We have purposely refrained from revealing details of the websites containing the Aadhar details We noticed that the data contained scanned images, put up by ministries and other government agencies, but these were not sourced from the Aadhar portal. It is still insufficient to call Aadhar the most secure portal in the world. Concerns on India's largest citizen services network portal have been mounting. A week ago, Alderson claimed to find details of 20,000 Aadhar cards in a matter of 3 hours. 

Two months ago, a journalist from The Tribune revealed how agencies tapped into Aadhar's network. In fact, the story was based on the premise that anyone could purchase user credentials for Rs 500 and tap into billions of Aadhar details. 

The UIDAI, agency managing the Aadhar network has so far disputed the claims. The Supreme Court is yet to announce on the legality of Aadhar number as a mandatory government document for subscribing to essential services. But even before the Supreme Court has made a ruling, banks and telecom operators have sought customers to connect their Aadhar card number with their phone number and bank accounts.

Read more at: http://www.sify.com/finance/are-your-aadhar-details-available-on-a-google-search-news-finance-sdroRhhhecche.html
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