Thread by @OfficialSauravD

#StoryAlert 🚨

Rising financial frauds, starvation deaths, denial of welfare services, and a key to mass surveillance, Aadhaar is back in the news. SERIOUS problems with its regulator & promoter @UIDAI also flagged by CAG.

Stay with me 👇🏻🧵

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Recently, d Bengaluru unit of @UIDAI issued an advisory asking people not to share their Aadhaar details & photocopies with “any organisation”. The advisory could’ve restricted Aadhaar’s use.

The govt within 48 hrs withdrew the advisory.

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The advisory was triggered after an event where narcotics were seized in B’lore & the suspect had used fudged Aadhaar IDs. Experts also linked this to rising Aadhaar-related financial frauds.

Hence, d advisory was welcomed by experts as a step in the right direction.

But..
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Yet, d govt withdrew the advisory and put the onus on the people to exercise “normal prudence” while sharing their Aadhaar. I explain in the story how this is ignorant of govt’s own Aadhaar Regulations 2021.

D CAG report on UIDAI has also flagged serious issues with d UID.

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For eg, CAG says UIDAI is unable to verify if a person is an ACTUAL “resident” of the country— which is one of Aadhaar’s most fundamental objectives.

CAG also finds that everyday, for the past 9 years, around 145 duplicate UID numbers were being generated.

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Most importantly, CAG noted that the quality of biometric data captured initially by the UIDAI was “not good enough” and that the UIDAI takes “no responsibility” for it, putting the onus of updating biometric on to the Aadhaar holders which “did not seem appropriate”.

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Several have died of hunger due to their ration cards not being linked to Aadhaar, possibly due to faulty biometrics and as a result failed authentication. The UIDAI takes no responsibility for it.

In 2017 Jharkhand, 11-year old Santoshi died of starvation when…

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her family was denied 6 months’ ration when her family’s ration card could not be linked to the Aadhaar with the family's database.

SC bench headed by CJI Bobde had noted the cancelling of 3 crore ration cards due to non-linkage with Aadhaar to be “too serious a matter”.

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Many starvation deaths have been reported across the country and many welfare services denied due to non-linkage with Aadhaar.

The problems of Aadhaar are not just welfare related. They are financial too.

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Govt reported that 10 crore worth Aadhaar related financial frauds over d past 3 years have been *reported*.

Lastly, I write on how Aadhaar could be a key to mass surveillance. Edward @Snowden had famously remarked in 2018 that “something is seriously wrong” with Aadhaar.

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Linking of Voter IDs with Aadhaar can have HUGE repercussions for democracy— voter profiling, with demographic data, will lead to targeted political advertising, you can lose your right to vote, commercial exploitation of private sensitive data and increased surveillance.

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“Once a database exists, it could be used for any wrong. They should go” @prasanna_s says.

@digitaldutta says despite 2 judgements on Aadhaar, ZERO architectural changes were made. “In computer world, code is law. Changes in law would be useless without changes in code”.

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So how do we save ourselves from the many dangers of Aadhaar?

“The only way to stay secure is by limiting Aadhaar’s use,” @prasanna_s tells me.

UIDAI is also opaque. It has a “poor” grievance redressal system, and RTIs do not provide much info.

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There is a classic conflict of interest in UIDAI’s case. @UIDAI functions as both the regulator and promoter of Aadhaar. How can one body do both without restricting another?

The need for an independent oversight over UIDAI’s functioning is the need of the hour.

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Also, several former employees of UIDAI have moved to the private sector to pursue profits. This creates a very bad conflict of interest.

These private persons may have close proximity and influence over how Aadhaar functions.

D need for oversight over @UIDAI is greatest

{END}

More on starvation deaths, financial frauds, and mass surveillance risks in the story for @Article14live.

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