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, April 16, 2018

13292 - Aadhaar Articles Dated 16th April 2018



Aljazeera.com
In January 2018, a local paper in the western Indian state of Punjab, The Tribune, published an article revealing that the private details of millions of Indians - gathered under the Aadhaar scheme - could be bought, cheap. Aadhaar, a nationwide identity programme that is run by the Indian government, ...




Gadgets Now
NEW DELHI: UIDAI or the Unique Identification Authority of India, the nodal agency for issuing 16-digit Aadhaar number, has been lately facing the heat over security concerns for users' data. To tackle this, UIDAI launched Virtual ID earlier this month. Service providers will soon start accepting this Virtual ...




Times of India
Meerut: The Uttar Pradesh government has renewed its efforts to ensure that all the primary school students in the state have Aadhaar cards made on their names, and has set a deadline of June 30 for it. In a fresh circular, issued by UP's additional education director (basic), all the basic shiksha ...






The Indian Express
By Ramya Chandrasekhar. Over the past couple of years, Aadhaar has been viewed as the “ultimate solution” for a range of problems, be it leakages in the PDS system or the cumbersome KYC procedures. Continuing this trend, Aadhaar has been pitted to solve another problem, that of female foeticide.






Hyderus Cyf (blog)
Aadhaar has been used extensively in healthcare schemes and is expected to be a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Health Protection Scheme, or Ayushman Bharat. However, Aadhaar has not been without controversy. The Maharashtra nutrition scheme beneficiaries is likely to ...
Conditions apply - The Telegraph India



India Today
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has arrested three foreign nationals, including two women, from Imphal airport with forged Indian documents, such as Aadhaar card and driving licenses. Recently, there have been cases where foreigners have been able to get such important documents from ...





India Today
Link your mobile number with your aadhaar number, name, gender and date of birth as per SSC/Intermediate certificate, well in advance ... Aadhaar number; Mobile number linked to aadhaar number; Colour photograph; Caste Certificate (with CND number and sub-caste), if applicable Income ...






NDTV
In order to open SBI's savings bank account with zero balance via YONO app, the customer must have a valid Aadhaar number - the 12-digit personal identification number issued by the UIDAI or Unique Identification Authority of India - and valid Permanent Account Number (PAN. In case customer's ...




The Interpreter
Aadhaar, the world's largest biometric ID program, implemented in India, is being tested by a challenge to its constitutional validity in the Supreme Court of India, questioning its impact on privacy and distribution public benefits. Jaime Saavedra argues that one of the solution to tackle the “global learning ...






Mumbai Live
According to the survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the civic body has curated the information of nearly 99,435 applications, which later will be scrutinised and the hawkers who will make it to the list will get biometric cards which will be linked to their Aadhaar card.






NewsBytes
On the first day of its launch, the IRCTC online portal saw 29 tickets booked. Today, over 13L tickets are bought on the portal. However, with the surge in volume, malpractices have also grown. To curb such practices, Railways has issued fresh rules for online ticket-booking. MoS Railways Rajen Gohain ...



Economic Times (blog)
And now with new customers coming into the digital fold with GoI stack such as Aadhaar, Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) and Digital Locker, we will find customers increasingly becoming more digital-friendly, and at the same time new business models evolving. India is in the top five countries globally ...






The Hindu
Mr. Kishan also said that the data basis for 95 per cent of the children was already available as they were seeded with Aadhaar. In the case of the remaining five per cent, it was difficult to fix their bonafides because there could be double entries — children may have taken admission in one school, but ...






The Hindu
The girls will be admitted to Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs).s. Mr. Kishan also said that the data basis for 95 per cent of the children was already available as they were seeded with Aadhaar. In the case of the remaining five per cent, it was difficult to fix their bonafides because there could ...






HERE. NOW
He brought all documents substantiating his identity including Aadhaar and PAN cards. He had filed a missing complaint with Mumbai police. The happy couple boarded the Konark Express for Mumbai in the evening. PNN. Tags: AadhaarKONARK EXPRESSMumbai coupleOCACsocial media.






Daily News & Analysis
He had an Aadhaar card from Bihar. The doctors have shown apprehensions as such cases are becoming regular where commoners are being caught as fake doctors inside the hospital premises. He has been handed over to the police and a legal action under sections 419 and 468 of the Indian Penal ...






Times of India
LUCKNOW: Six people were arrested for fleecing insurance policy holders in Krishnanagar on Sunday. The police recovered Rs 1.1 lakh cash, 6 laptops, 67 mobile phones, 23 ATM cards of different banks, 15 bank passbooks, 50 SIM cards, 5 voter ID cards, 5 Aadhaar cards, a motorcycle and other ...






Daily Excelsior
He said that the Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhaar project as well as mobile connectivity has helped reduce corruption and bring transparency. Gupta said, our Prime Minister pitched for a digital revolution in the country, which he said is necessary to deal with problems like corruption and ensure transparent ...






The Tribune
We hope to provide better services to our customers through this new initiative.” The field staff of the post office would be imparted training. A person can hold maximum balance of Rs 1 lakh. The bank will open accounts using customers' Aadhaar numbers which would be required for payments.






Times Now
In an interview, the Deputy CM also shared the board's plan of making Aadhaar Cards mandatory for enrolment of class IX and XI students. The rationale for the same is to identify students and curb the incidents of rampant teaching. This year, as many as 66,37,018 students registered for the Class 10 ...






State Times
Speaking about the utility of digital technology, Vibodh said, digital technology is a great enabler. It has paved way for efficient delivery and governance. He said that the Jan Dhan Yojna and Aadhaar projects as well as mobile connectivity have helped reduce corruption and bring transparency. Rajinder ...






Newburgh Gazette
Using the BHIM app, a user can make payments using details such has mobile number, name and Aadhaar number, without having to share own bank account details. #JUSTIN | Great news for @NPCI_BHIM users! Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) App has rolled out new cashback plans for its ...