Legal notices to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) are questioning its credentials to begin the process of acquiring biometric data of people to provide them the 12-digit UID number even before a law on UID comes into force.
Two legal notices issued to UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani on July 5 and July 6 also raise concerns over UID numbers invading the privacy of individuals as these are for multi-utility service use, and would force individuals to leave trails, allowing invasion of their privacy.
Mathew Thomas, general secretary, Citizens’ Action Forum, and VK Somashekhar, founder patron, Coordinated Action of Consumer and Voluntary Organisations of Karnataka (CACVOK), have separately issued legal notices to Nilekani on Tuesday and Wednesday through their respective advocates, BT Venkatesh, and A Mahabaleshwara Bhat, a former additional central government standing high court counsel.
The notices aim to mobilise the country against the UIDAI, which, they say, has begun the process of enrolling citizens with UID numbers without waiting for the bill’s enactment in Parliament, Venkatesh, Mathew and Somashekhar alleged on Thursday.
“The bill is still with the standing committee on finance. With whose authority has the UIDAI started enrolling?” said Mathew.
“Without a final project report, the UIDAI is randomly signing contracts and paying crores to private agencies for the works,” Venkatesh said. “Is there a guarantee that the private agencies will not misuse the data?”
Mathew said, “The UIDAI says gas connection, bank accounts and utility billings will be linked through the 12-digit UID number. Wherever you go and whatever you buy, your biometric detail will leave information about your private life for the state. Isn’t it a threat to individual privacy then?”
Ashok Dalwai, deputy director general, technology centre, UIDAI, said: “We have taken care of security, confidentiality and privacy aspects that people are worried about.”
Venkatesh said they would file suits against UIDAI if the authority failed to reply within ten days.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_credentials-of-unique-identification-number-under-scanner_1563518
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Group decries Centre's Aadhaar biometric project
Panaji: While the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is busy implementing Aadhaar, the unique identification project across India, Bharat Mukti Morcha (BMM) has petitioned president of India Pratibha Patil through the North Goa collector, objecting to the implementation of the biometric project.
Alleging that the UID is a conspiracy to put private citizens under surveillance, BMM has urged the Union government to scrap the unique identification project as it is a violation of the privacy of citizens.
"Through UID, tracking of individuals becomes easy. All information collected by UIDAI will be easily accessible to intelligence agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) through the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)," said Goa convener of BMM Sebastian Rodrigues. "This may lead to suppression of democratic liberties," he said.
The BMM has noted that while the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, is yet to be passed by Parliament, biometric enrolment for the National Population Register ( NPR)) is being carried out under Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003.
Unlike the Census Act 1948, which declares in Section 15 that census records 'will not be open to inspection or admissible as evidence', these other laws do not have such safeguards.
"Biometric cards invade privacy and as such are a violation of the fundamental right to life with dignity guaranteed by the constitution. Even developed nations such as Britain, USA and Australia which tried to enforce such cards were forced to scrap them after public protests," Rodrigues added.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already begun issuing unique numbers to residents in different parts of India. The numbers will be stored in a centralized database and linked to biometric information such as photographs, fingerprints and iris scans of citizens.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Group-decries-Centres-Aadhaar-biometric-project/articleshow/9389041.cms
Alleging that the UID is a conspiracy to put private citizens under surveillance, BMM has urged the Union government to scrap the unique identification project as it is a violation of the privacy of citizens.
"Through UID, tracking of individuals becomes easy. All information collected by UIDAI will be easily accessible to intelligence agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) through the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)," said Goa convener of BMM Sebastian Rodrigues. "This may lead to suppression of democratic liberties," he said.
The BMM has noted that while the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, is yet to be passed by Parliament, biometric enrolment for the National Population Register ( NPR)) is being carried out under Citizenship Act 1955 and Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003.
Unlike the Census Act 1948, which declares in Section 15 that census records 'will not be open to inspection or admissible as evidence', these other laws do not have such safeguards.
"Biometric cards invade privacy and as such are a violation of the fundamental right to life with dignity guaranteed by the constitution. Even developed nations such as Britain, USA and Australia which tried to enforce such cards were forced to scrap them after public protests," Rodrigues added.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already begun issuing unique numbers to residents in different parts of India. The numbers will be stored in a centralized database and linked to biometric information such as photographs, fingerprints and iris scans of citizens.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Group-decries-Centres-Aadhaar-biometric-project/articleshow/9389041.cms
Achuthanandan Against Unique Identification Number (UID) Scheme
Note: One of the senior most and honest politicians of South Asia, 87 years old, V S Achuthanandan, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala State Assembly and the supporter of free and open source software movement initiated by Richard Stallman, a US based computer programmer, has objected to Unique Identification Number (UID) scheme of the Prime Minister which has been abandoned in United Kingdom, Philippines and other countries.
The Centralised Identities Data Register (CIDR) of UID Numbers is linked to the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) under Union Home Ministry. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley has rejected NATGRID citing certainty of wikileaks.
Gopal Krishna
Member, Citizens Forum for Liberties (CFCL)
New Delhi
V S Achuthanandan voices misgivings about UID project
27 JUL, 2011, PTI
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan today expressed misgivings about theUID scheme launched by the Centre "without proper debate" in Parliament and alleged that the true intention behind the programme was to help IT firms hit by the global downturn.
The Centre was moving ahead with the Unique Identification Number (UID) campaign without bothering about its implications or taking into account the experiences of countries which had abandoned it mid-way after realising the dangers involved, Achuthanandnan, who is Kerala Opposition Leader, said.
The UID programme envisaged collection of bio-metric details of each citizen,without factoring in the security implications or invasion of privacy. Countries like the United Kingdom and Philippines had abandoned the project mid-way after realising the latent dangers,he said.
In India, the project had been announced without a proper debate in Parliament or bringing in a draft bill, the former Chief Minister said in a statement here.
The true intention behind the scheme was to help IT companies hit by the global downturn, he alleged.
Achuthanandan took strong objection to UDF government's decision to fast-track the UID campaign in the state, as announced by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy soon after coming to power.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/V-S-Achuthanandan-voices-misgivings-about-UID-project/articleshow/9385650.cms
The Centralised Identities Data Register (CIDR) of UID Numbers is linked to the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) under Union Home Ministry. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley has rejected NATGRID citing certainty of wikileaks.
Gopal Krishna
Member, Citizens Forum for Liberties (CFCL)
New Delhi
V S Achuthanandan voices misgivings about UID project
27 JUL, 2011, PTI
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan today expressed misgivings about theUID scheme launched by the Centre "without proper debate" in Parliament and alleged that the true intention behind the programme was to help IT firms hit by the global downturn.
The Centre was moving ahead with the Unique Identification Number (UID) campaign without bothering about its implications or taking into account the experiences of countries which had abandoned it mid-way after realising the dangers involved, Achuthanandnan, who is Kerala Opposition Leader, said.
The UID programme envisaged collection of bio-metric details of each citizen,without factoring in the security implications or invasion of privacy. Countries like the United Kingdom and Philippines had abandoned the project mid-way after realising the latent dangers,he said.
In India, the project had been announced without a proper debate in Parliament or bringing in a draft bill, the former Chief Minister said in a statement here.
The true intention behind the scheme was to help IT companies hit by the global downturn, he alleged.
Achuthanandan took strong objection to UDF government's decision to fast-track the UID campaign in the state, as announced by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy soon after coming to power.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/V-S-Achuthanandan-voices-misgivings-about-UID-project/articleshow/9385650.cms
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