Day 54 – Q 3.What are the privacy concerns being raised over Aadhar UID? Are they reasonable? Critically evaluate.
3. What are the privacy concerns being raised over Aadhar UID? Are they reasonable? Critically evaluate.
आधार यूआईडी पर किन गोपनीयता चिंताओं को उठाया जा रहा है? क्या वे उचित हैं? समालोचनात्मक मूल्यांकन करें।
Introduction:
Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number which will serve as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India. Its objective is to provide social security benefits by plugging the leakages, thus, ensuring transparency and good governance.
Body:
Aadhaar now being linked to everything under the sun — bank records, financial statements, income tax returns, phone numbers and even competitive examinations, there are various privacy concerns being raised like
- Data protection given the involvement of private entities.
- Loss of personal integrity: the discomfort from information about our lives being available to people or institutions with whom we do not wish to share it.
- Vulnerability to identity fraud, even identity theft. Ex: like Fingerprint impressions can be easily reproduced.
- Tool for profiling and surveillance that may affect civil liberties of people. Ex: self- censorship, curb dissent.
- creation of a ‘personal data economy’, which will monetise information about people’s personal life ahead of creating adequate digital and legal literacy and safeguards around these issues.
In today’s digital world, it is argued that these concerns are ‘reasonable’ by citing:
- Growing instances of hacking and data leakages. Some 3.24 million records were stolen, lost or exposed in India in 2017, according to Breach Level Index study by digital security firm Gemalto. This number has increased by a whopping 783% over the previous year.
- Lower financial and digital literacy especially among rural masses.
- The collection and storage of Aadhaar number by various private entities. Ex: Telecom players for issuing SIM cards
- The safeguards in the Aadhaar Act are weak. Further, the implementation of the law is even worse.
However, various concerns are addressed through steps like
- Creation of a “virtual ID” which can be used in lieu of the 12-digit Aadhaar number at the time of authentication for any service.
- The UIDAI has also limited access to stored personal information and mandated the use of unique tokens through which authenticating agencies can access required data.
- Concept of ‘limited KYC’ under which it will only provide need-based or limited details of a user to an authorised agency that is providing a particular service.
Conclusion:
UN Report on World Social Situation, 2016 described Adhaar as a developmental tool with “tremendous potential to foster inclusion by giving all people, including the poorest and most marginalized, an official identity” and a wonderful “critical step in enabling fairer access of the people to government benefits and services”, thereby enhancing social and economic distributive justice leaving no one behind. Given such benefits, Government should take adequate measures (data protection law, strengthen Aadhaar act, strengthen cyber infrastructure) to address concerns and thus win confidence of the people.
Best Answer: Jayesh Mohite
