AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 13450 - Bill Gates endorses Aadhaar scheme; says it doesn't pose privacy issues

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

Friday, May 4, 2018

13450 - Bill Gates endorses Aadhaar scheme; says it doesn't pose privacy issues - Business Today

Bill Gates endorses Aadhaar scheme; says it doesn't pose privacy issues

BusinessToday.In

New Delhi

Last Updated: May 3, 2018 | 16:52 IST

Aadhaar has been a boiling issue in India for the past few months. Data theft cases for as little as Rs 500, fake software to create Aadhaar cards, and alleged 'loopholes' in the unique identity scheme have left a dent on its credibility. It has been facing increased scrutiny over privacy concerns following several instances of breaches and misuse. Despite all this, Aadhaar as a scheme has been appreciated by many prominent people all over the world. Bill Gates, founder of one of the world's biggest tech companies, Microsoft, has been a staunch supporter of the Aadhaar scheme since the very beginning of its rollout. This time, he has again come out openly saying the Aadhaar technology does not pose any privacy issue. Not only that, he also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fully "embracing" the scheme, which was initiated during the previous UPA regime.

The founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told PTI his organisation has funded the World Bank to "emulate" the project as it is worth doing so. Bill and Melinda want other countries to also adopt the scheme. "The bio-ID verification programme has multiple benefits," says Bill. To undertake this level of project in other countries, the World Bank and the Gates Foundation have reportedly roped in multi-billionaire Nandan Nilekani. The Infosys founder, who is also considered as the chief architect of Aadhaar, will consult and help the World Bank carry out the 'Aadhaar-like' project in other countries.

After the successful implantation of the Aadhaar scheme in India, other countries have also approached New Delhi for assistance in creating similar data base.

Appreciating India for successfully implementing the scheme, Gates said India's Aadhaar technology could be implemented across the world. Bill Gates thinks the Aadhaar-like scheme could help improve governance, which is directly linked to economic growth and the overall improvement in society.

"The benefits of that (basic ID -- Aadhaar) are very high. Yes, countries should adopt that approach because the quality of governance has a lot to do with how quickly countries are able to grow their economy and empower their people. Aadhaar in itself doesn't pose any privacy issue because it's just a bio ID verification scheme," said Gates.

One of the world's richest men, Bill Gates, also tried to sooth fears around the Aadhaar data misuse, saying individual application users need to properly check who can see information. He also defended financial institutions seeking Aadhaar details for opening an account. "Application by application, you have to make sure that's well-managed. In the case of the financial bank account, I think it's handled very well. (It uses) Aadhar to set up the accounts so that you can both get your cell phone and get your bank account," he said, reported the agency.

He said some of the initiatives carried out by the Narendra Modi government on digitisation could help improve the level of education in the country, and hence, the governance. Before this in 2016, Gates had said the Aadhaar is a scheme "never been done by any government before, not even in a rich country". The UIDAI's ambitious Aadhaar project is the world's largest biometric database with whopping 111 crore people of the total 125 crore Indians already connected with the identity scheme.