Page 13 - English Tehelka Issue 3&4

OpiniOn unique identity

Aadhar row: Govt must bank accounts, insurance policies and

subsidies, the government has left
allay fears of data misuse them with no option but to apply for
Aadhar card.
It is pointed out that the government
By making Aadhar cards compulsory for availing basic necessities, has thus denied access to one’s own
money in banks as it has threatened to
Spotlight the government is imposing its will on citizens, who must now be freeze all accounts which are not linked
to the scheme. West Bengal Chief Min-
convinced that their right to privacy will not be compromised
Vipin pubby ister Mamta Banerjee is among those
who have stressed they would not link
he monumental task of likings and dislikes, his friends and foes, their bank accounts with Aadhar. Com-
providing unique identity his eating habits, his medical history, his pulsory linking of Aadhar number with
for over 125 crore citizens, travel plans and his contact informa- almost everything, including mobile
Former resident editor the second highest popula- tion. Hackers can also get access to bank connections, railway and flight reserva-
of the Indian express, tion in the world, was by details and passwords. tions, credit and debit cards, passports,
Vipin Pubby is a senior T no means an easy task. The On the other hand, those opposed etc. have made life difficult for those
journalist based in massive scale of the exercise notwith- to government collecting such data say photo: tehelka archIves who have not enrolled themselves with
Chandigarh. He can standing, the concept itself had been that the availability of entire informa- mation without access to biometric the UIDAI.
be contacted at surrounded by controversies. tion about an individual, including data would not be of any use to anyone. • Totalitarianism feared Critics argue that the A five-judge Constitution bench of
Aadhar programme, in its current form, can lead
vipinpubby@gmail. The project has remained under a biometric details, could easily fall into However, what it did not divulge is that to a police state Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Jus-
com. The views cloud ever since the Unique Identifica- wrong hands. Besides their objection even the non-biometric information tices A.K. Sikri, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y.
expressed are personal tion Authority of India (UIDAI) was to making these details compulsory, could be marketed or abused by vested Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan,
set up in 2009. The Manmohan Singh they think there are chances of security interests. Although the US has a Social which is now hearing the petitions,
government had roped in no less than a breach. Under mounting pressure from Security Number (SSN) and the UK has observed that the right of privacy
co-founder of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, The latest exposure of security media organisations and others, the has National Insurance Number (NIN), of citizens sharing Aadhar details and
to lead the project. Even after running breach in the system by a leading Eng- UIDAI has decided not to pursue the neither of the two take biometrics of national interest have to be balanced.
a budget of 9,000 crore in seven years lish daily, The Tribune, who carried an case against the reporter but questions individuals. Giving its verdict on a peti- One of the judges, Justice Chandrachud
and collecting biometric and other de- investigation through a sting operation, remain over the breach of security and tion challenging SSN, a US Court said : observed: “We live in times of terror-
tails of about 120 crore citizens of a total has driven the point home. Yet it was the apprehensions associated with pos- “Requiring an SSN on a driver’s applica- ism, money laundering. One needs to
of 125 crore, the project remains em- not the only breach reported since the sible leakage of personal information. tion is not unconstitutional, nor is the balance out the right to privacy”.
broiled in controversies mainly on the scheme was launched. Although it’s Ironically, the ruling BJP had at one requirement that welfare recipients Senior counsel Shyam Divan argued
security concerns relating to sensitive been nearly a month since the breach stage strongly opposed the Aadhar furnish their SSNs” making it clear that that Aadhaar programme has the
personal data of individuals available was reported, the UIDAI has not come scheme on security aspects and is now it can’t be made mandatory. In India too potential to lead to police raj. When
with the government. out with its investigation report. Shock- its strongest supporter. The BJP had critics say collection of biometrics was Justice Chandrachud pointed that
Those who have been challenging ingly, it had sought to register an FIR protested so strongly against the UPA’s not required. even private operators like Google tap
the very need for collecting personal against the messenger, or the reporter, scheme that it had successfully blocked The issue is now being heard by the the same type of information, Divan
data of individuals claim that with the although it withdrew after protests passing of the Bill in Parliament. Its Supreme Court following a string of pe- replied that Google is not a State. “Here,
government having access to such data, from media organisations across the leaders had raised red flags over pos- titions challenging the constitutionality government tracks you in real time
there is possibility of it being misused country. sible security breaches. Even Prime of the Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of and it becomes a police state and our
or abused at some stage. Critics argue The Tribune story had exposed how Minister Narendra Modi, then the chief Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits Constitution doesn’t allow this,”
that the Aadhar programme can lead it took just 500, paid through Paytm, minister of Gujarat, had expressed and Services) Act of 2016. These peti- he said.
to a police state. They claim that Aadhar to breach the security of the system. apprehensions over the possibility tioners have questioned the security That’s the moot point. Whatever
Social networking was nothing but “electronic mapping” The agent created a ‘gateway’ for the of security breach. The government aspect as well as denial of facilities to verdict Supreme Court declares would
sites are not the of citizens who would be forced to correspondent and gave her a password claims that these concerns have now a section of marginalised population be keenly watched but the government
must give firm assurances to citizens
and login ID. All she needed was to enter
on the ground that they don’t have an
live under the government’s constant
been addressed.
State. It’s optional gaze. the Aadhar number of any individual to A section of Congress, which had Aadhar number. that the data would remain secure and
One of the major objections of a sec-
The argument of the government is
to use them. The that private companies or even other get instant particulars of the individual mooted the initial project, is now also tion of the petitioners is to the govern- won’t be misused to spy on individuals.
Strict measures must be put in place
expressing apprehensions. Former
given to the UIDAI. The information in-
problem arises when government agencies already have cluded names, addresses, PAN numbers, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, ment directive to make Aadhar manda- and provision for harsh penalties
the govt tracks you access to personal data. For instance, postal addresses, email IDs and phone who had opposed his government’s tory. They say that such an action is must be made for breach of security —
a combination of data from Facebook,
numbers, etc.
whether by hackers or by government
decision to go for the scheme, still
arbitrary and against the fundamental
in real time like in a email, Instagram, Twitter and other simply denied any security breach and maintains his stand and has said that rights of privacy that all citizens enjoy. itself.
Reacting to the investigation, UIDIA
such social networking sites can easily
They point out that due to it being made
gathering such data could lead to mis-
Police State lead to all information about a person’s maintained that even leakage of infor- use of data. compulsory to link Aadhar with your letters@tehelka.com
Tehelka / 28 february 2018 12 www.Tehelka.com Tehelka / 28 february 2018 13 www.Tehelka.com
12-13 Opinion Vipin Pubby.indd 2-3 12/02/18 3:33 PM