AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 13153 - After Rajya Sabha Was Told Tribune Reporter Is Named In Aadhaar FIR, She Says She Is Too Confused About Whom To Trust In Govt

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, March 31, 2018

13153 - After Rajya Sabha Was Told Tribune Reporter Is Named In Aadhaar FIR, She Says She Is Too Confused About Whom To Trust In Govt - Outlook India

After Rajya Sabha Was Told Tribune Reporter Is Named In Aadhaar FIR, She Says She Is Too Confused About Whom To Trust In Govt

The Rajya Sabha was informed today that in an FIR filed by the cyber cell of the Delhi Police, 'the name of journalist of 'Tribune' newspaper finds a mention.'

YAMINI KALRA

Journalist Rachna Khaira said she is 'too confused' about “whom to trust” over the government's conflicting claims about the UIDAI's FIR against an explosive story she broke early this year in The Tribune.

The Rajya Sabha was informed today that in an FIR filed by the cyber cell of the Delhi Police, 'the name of journalist of 'Tribune' newspaper finds a mention.' The ambiguous statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs also contradicts the government's claim that the FIR has not been registered against Khaira or The Tribune. It is not clear whether Khaira is named as an accused, or is mentioned in description of the events pertaining to the story of the alleged data leak.

'The Delhi Police has reported that on the complaint of Deputy Director (Logistics and Grievance Redressal), UIDAI, an FIR under the Aadhaar Act 2016, u/s, 419, 420, 468, 471, IPC and u/s 66 Information Technology Act has been registered wherein the name of journalist of 'Tribune Newspaper' finds a mention. During the course of investigation, information related to the case has been asked from UIDAI,' the Rajya Sabha was told today.

View image on Twitter

Rachna Khaira@rachnakhaira

What is this Mr Prasad? Breach of trust by u? U got a case registered against me. @rsprasad @UIDAI

4:09 PM - Mar 28, 2018

55 93 people are talking about this

Twitter Ads info and privacy

Khaira told Outlook that "by putting out ambiguous statements time and again, the government in a way has accepted the ambiguous nature and working of the UIDAI."

She was earlier categorically told by the Law Ministry that the FIR is not against her. "I don't know whom to trust," she said. "The law minister or the minister of state for home."

The FIR, anyway, doesn't seem to have made much headway with the Ministry of Home Affairs informing Parliament that even after more than two months, information is still being sought by the UIDAI.

When asked if she was ever directly approached by the Delhi Police cyber cell in the matter, Khaira responded in the negative.

In a report published early this year, Khaira had reported how demographic data associated with Aadhaar numbers was being sold by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp for just Rs 500. The investigative report titled "Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details"by The Tribune had revealed how its reporter purchased a service by anonymous sellers on WhatsApp and paid Rs 500 via Paytm to an agent of the group running a racket. The agent then created a “gateway” for the reporter and gave a login ID and password, thus giving unrestricted access to details, including name, address, postal code (PIN), photo, phone number and email, of more than 1 billion Aadhaar numbers submitted to the UIDAI, the Aadhaar issuing body.The Aadhaar issuing body UIDAI had called it 'fake news', and filed a complaint with the Crime Branch’s cyber cell under IPC Sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), as well Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act.

According to The Indian Express, the FIR noted how the reporter got in touch with the other persons named in the FIR and goes on to state: “The above-mentioned persons have unauthorisedly accessed the Aadhaar ecosystem in connivance of the criminal conspiracy… The act of the aforesaid involved persons is in violation of (the various sections mentioned in the FIR)… Hence, an FIR needs to be filed at the cyber cell for the said violation.”

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology, which is the nodal ministry in charge of the UID Authority of India, had however, clarified the complaint was not against the newspaper and Khaira, and maintained that the FIR is filed against 'unknown' accused.

“UIDAI’s complaint is detailed and self contained,” the IT ministry said in its statement. “The details of known/ suspect/ unknown accused detailed at serial no 7 (S.no.7) of page 1 of the FIR states as ‘unknown’,” it said.

"My report has not only highlighted the ambiguity in the Aadhaar system but has also drawn attention of security researchers like Edward Snowden and Elliot Anderson who have challenged India's preparedness on cyber security," Khaira told Outlook.

Her report on an apparent security lapse in the UIDAI was followed by multiple stories on the same lines, all refuted by the UIDAI as 'fake news'.