Sir,
Aadhaar- world’s largest biometric ID system is a 12-digit unique identity number obtained by residents in India. The data is collected by Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI). The UID number is linked to a person’s basic biometric information such as 10 fingerprints, two iris scans and are stored in a centralized database. It contains personal information including our phone number , PAN card details. It is even linked to our bank accounts
Now the question is how safe is our UIDAI’s Aadhaar data? Aadhaar is the most trusted and widely held ID that a person presents whenever needed. Recently, Aadhaar has been accessed by a French hacker, Elliot Anderson, only by the 12-digit UID number enclosing all the personal details of TRAI’s chairperson. So, the question here again arises is “Can government guarantee the safety of data?” We need answers above mentioned questions and all the holes must be closed . Many western countries avoid saving biometric data of their citizen .
It is important to understand why Aadhaar has become so manifested . By linking Aadhaar with private data, such as your phone number ,its not curbing on corruption . In India, Aadhaar is being linked to almost every thing. The government in other countries recommends people not to use it everywhere.
The second most important thing is that bio-metrics are not taken in USA. There is a law for privacy in the US, there is a law to prevent discrimination in the job, and if there is a problem in this system, then there is a system to complain, not like in India where if you complain, it should be used to file a case against you!
Interestingly, the Aadhaar Act is silent on making the UIDAI liable for reporting any breaches. Moreover, it isn’t liable to even disclose it under the Right To Information Act or to the parliament. Which is why you may never find out if your Aadhaar Data has been hacked.
Privacy is a fundamental right .That’s a safe guard in democracy against kleptocratic tendencies from various quarters. IfAadhar is necessary then India also needs a robust data privacy and data protection law.
Himani Sharma
on e-mail
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