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    Aadhaar faces its biggest test at SC

    Synopsis

    If Aadhaar gets green light, it will encourage the govt to push the UID project more vigorously.

    aadhar
    The five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, on Wednesday began the hearing of the historic case.
    Aadhaar is facing its biggest test ever. The five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, on Wednesday began the hearing of the historic case, which will decide if Aadhaar is an infringement of the fundamental right to privacy.

    There is a lot at stake for the government, which has put its entire might behind the UID programme, virtually making it the sole KYC document for all financial transactions.

    Interestingly, the Aadhaar hearing comes days after the concerns over of Aadhaar’s cyber risks put the government on the defensive. Such was the furore, the Unique Identity Authority (UIDAI) had to come out with a face-saver in the form of a virtual Aadhaar and facial authentication as an additional layer of security to check security risks. Whatever the outcome, life will never be the same for the 120 crore Indians.

    If Aadhaar gets the green light, it will encourage the government to push the UID project more vigorously, and make it something similar to the social security number of the US.

    A judgement against Aadhaar can spell havoc, as it could jeopardise the whole idea of direct subsidy transfer, let alone the crores of rupees that has already been poured into it to keep it up and running.

    Many believe Aadhaar is too big a project to fail, even as some others question the privacy argument at a time when Google and other social media, that are loaded with users’ personal details, go scot-free.

    Here are some of the notable quotes from experts who joined ET NOW’s India Development Debate on Wednesday:

    PANEL VIEW

    AMIT MALVIYA
    SPOKESPERSON, BJP


    So far, there has been no leakage of biometric data, which is the soul of Aadhaar. There is nothing that Aadhaar captures over and above what is there in the voter card or the ration card. It is the upper segment of the society which is concerned about privacy. Aadhaar is not a surveillance tool; it is an identification tool. Now with Aadhaar, it has become easier for people to claim benefits from the state.

    ARVIND GUPTA
    FOUNDER, DIGITAL INDIA FOUNDATION


    Nearly 40 crore people didn't have an identity card at all. If you talk about the poor, who the anti-Aadhaar people seem to representing, if they lose the card for a particular entitlement, how long does it take to get a new one? If someone's biometrics doesn't match or in the case of a fingerprint mismatch, there's the OTPbased authentication. With facial recognition for authentication, things are moving in the right direction.

    MUHAMMAD KHAN
    SPOKESPERSON, CONGRESS


    Idon’t see Aadhaar passing the test of privacy. It is work in progress. You will notice how the poor people are denied benefits for factors completely beyond their control. On what basis are they claiming that no leakage has happened. In 2014, they admitted to a breach. We haven’t given up on Aadhaar, but we never tried to make it mandatory.

    KIRAN JONNALAGADDA
    CO-FOUNDER, INTERNET FREEDOM FOUNDATION


    Virtual ID, for instance, has nothing to do with exclusion. It is a privacy measure. Face ID has been introduced with no thought whatsoever. They have not considered the quality of facial capture that is required to do this and announced it just to get some news out ahead of the SC case. The Aadhaar ecosystem is so large that UIDAI has no control over it. Every part of the ecosystem is leaking data, somewhere or the other.

    SADANAND DHUME
    RESIDENT FELLOW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE


    People have raised some valid and pressing questions that ought to be addressed. I think the privacy question is real. At the same time we shouldn't be alarmist. This is work in progress and nobody can say with certainty whether the nightmares that we saw are going to be true or going to be wonderful, as painted by Aadhaar's proponents.




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    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today.

    Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price

    ...more
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