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Aadhaar vs Privacy: Two warnings from the US

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Aadhaar-PAN linkage: Finance ministry exempts residents of 3 states, the elderly, foreign citizens

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As the recent social security number hack, which exposed the data of 6,000 clients, demonstrates, leaks can spring from the unlikeliest of sources and, given the size of India’s population—plus the fact that UIDs are to be linked to tax returns and bank accounts, a much larger threat hangs on the citizen’s money as well as their security

By Sujit Bhar

The Aadhaar versus privacy issue that has been raging in India has had two warning echoes from the US. Both are scary, and if placed in the backdrop, the possibility of Aadhaar’s unique identity privacy breach doesn’t seem just a conspiracy theory any more.

The huge biometric database that the government of India is forming with the entire population of India coming under the umbrella can come out from strange sources, as the US example says.

Forbes has reported on May 10 that 6,000 Social Security Numbers (SSN) of American clients were unintentionally exposed by a London-based business finance provider firm that helps its clients bypass the banking system and hence its several  paraphernalia, to link with peer-to-peer funding. But the missing link and the expose came from another source, said Forbes. The company has admitted that “a misconfigured Amazon Web Services database exposed more than 13 million marketing email addresses for individuals,” Forbes reported.

SSNs in the US are an all-encompassing database that includes a huge number of data on the person, starting from tax returns to his security details and more. Details of all this will be available to anybody who can use these numbers on special networks (such as the police or the NSA) and may be able to use such data to adversely affect the person’s credibility and even security.

Aadhaar, will have, over and above, biometric details of the person, which are very critical in as far as security goes. With Aadhaar now being linked to PAN, tax filings would be within the grasp of a hacker, so will bank account details and whatever else comes within the purview of the UID.

Of the huge database glitch, Forbes says: “Additionally, private data sets Funding Circle had purchased from third parties and credit agencies including Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Powerlytics were left open.” Which means anybody who wanted to get data about these people need not even be hackers. It was being served on a platter to whosoever wanted to get hold of such information.

The scariest part of the entire episode was that the clients themselves had no hand in the breach, and it did not even happen at any place where they may have expected it to, such as their home computers or the IRS of the US.

With the internet’s extensive reach, such data from Aadhaar could also land with terrorists, who can use any identity to cover their tracks.

In another story, that appeared in Mashable, it was announced that all American airports would soon have face scanning as a must. This presents another set of data hacking opportunities. While the entire exercise is laudable for its intent, any auxiliary intent could be counter-productive, to say the least.

More importantly, a face scan means that this data will have biometric information, which is more critical. Biometric data is possibly the best way of identification these days and Aadhaar has such information in plenty.  One biometric scan in any airport anywhere in the world would leave an Indian citizen open to scams.

There is need for a lot of caution regarding collecting public data and in a country as disorganised as India, this should be treated even more carefully.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Farooq Abdullah accuses PM Modi of trying to divide the country over religion

Faroukh Abdullah reacted to PM Modi’s remark that the Congress will redistribute people’s money and property to Muslims if voted to power and said Muslims respect all religions. He said that they are Muslims and Allah has told them to respect other religions. He further added that a Muslim cannot snatch anyone’s right.

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Farooq Abdullah, Jammu and Kashmir’s National Conference President said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to divide the country over religion. He also said that those who will vote for them must prepare for hell. Farooq Abdullah said Muslims cannot snatch away the rights of others.

Farooq Abdullah also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government a threat to the survival of the country. Omar Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister cautioned the people not to divide this country on the basis of religion, otherwise a storm will unleash making the survival of the nation difficult. He said it is better to talk about uniting the country, instead of dividing its people.

He was addressing an election rally in Thanamandi area of the Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir. The Anantnag parliamentary constituency will go for elections on May 25. Faroukh Abdullah reacted to PM Modi’s remark that the Congress will redistribute people’s money and property to Muslims if voted to power and said Muslims respect all religions. He said that they are Muslims and Allah has told them to respect other religions. He further added that a Muslim cannot snatch anyone’s right.

He remembered an incident when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi once stopped his car in Pulwama and assured a poor Hindu woman that he would give her a mangalsutra as she could not afford it. Farooq Abdullah said those who were against the INDIA bloc are against the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier sparked a controversy last month as he commented that the Congress would take away the hard-earned money of the masses and distribute them among infiltrators and those with many children.  Speaking at a rally today, the Prime Minister took a jibe at the Congress and said the governments in the past were not able to implement the Indian Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir. He was referring to the revocation of Article 370.

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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah writes to PM Modi, urges home ministry to cancel diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna

CM Siddaramaiah wrote in the letter to PM Modi that he must be aware of the serious case of alleged sexual exploitation of a number of women by the sitting Hassan Lok Sabha member of Parliament (MP) and the NDA candidate, Prajwal Revanna, for the same constituency for the  ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he urged the Home Affairs Ministry to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna. Earlier a day before Revanna was suspended by JD(S) amid a row over explicit videos. Revanna is believed to have escaped to Germany shortly after the first phase of elections ended in Karnataka on April 26, in which he was JD(S)-BJP’s candidate from Hassan.

CM Siddaramaiah wrote in the letter to PM Modi that he must be aware of the serious case of alleged sexual exploitation of a number of women by the sitting Hassan Lok Sabha member of Parliament (MP) and the NDA candidate, Prajwal Revanna, for the same constituency for the  ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Karnataka Chief Minister wrote in letter that the Congress government in Karnataka has constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegations against Revanna. The SIT is working day and night to investigate the allegations of crimes against several women by Prajwal Revanna and getting him back to the country is of utmost importance so that he faces investigation and trial as per the existing law of the land.

Siddaramaiah urged PM Modi to move the Home Ministry to take swift action to cancel the diplomatic passport of Prajwal Revanna and appropriate action must be taken using diplomatic and police channels of the Government of India as well as international police agencies to ensure the swift return of the absconding member of parliament to face the existing law of the land.

Suspended JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, broke his silence on Wednesday and said that truth will prevail soon. In his first response since the controversy erupted, Prajwal Revanna said on X that he is not in Bengaluru currently and has communicated the same to CID.

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Amit Shah says BJP will neither remove reservation for SCs, STs and OBC, nor will allow Congress to do so

The Home Minister alleged that the Congress’ formula was to speak lies loudly, publicly and repetitively. He advised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge not to speak lies for a family as eventually he will have to take the blame for the party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday continued to attack Congress over reservation row. He was addressing a rally in Katghora town of Chhattisgarh’s Korba district to campaign for Saroj Pandey, BJP candidate from the Korba Lok Sabha seat where Shah said BJP will neither remove reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, nor will it allow Congress to do so.

The Home Minister alleged that the Congress’ formula was to speak lies loudly, publicly and repetitively. He advised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge not to speak lies for a family as eventually he will have to take the blame for the party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections. Shah accused Congress of nurturing terrorism and Naxalism to win the Lok Sabha elections.

Shah further added that Congress claims if Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji gets majority for the third term, he will scrap reservation. He said the grand old party has even circulated his fake video. Shah said that have been in power for the last 10 years and PM Modi did not remove reservation, nor will he do it in the future.

The Union Home Minister further asserted Modi ji used the majority to scrap Article 370 and triple talaq, construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and introduce the Citizenship Amendment Act. He further told the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi do not belong to anyone. He said on June 4 Congress will suffer defeat and the brother-sister duo will remain safe, but Kharge ji will be blamed.

Shah further asserted if PM Modi becomes the prime minister for the 3rd straight term, then Naxalism will be uprooted in two years in Chhattisgarh.  Shah targeted the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led government in Chhattisgarh and said, The Bhupesh Kakka government encouraged Naxalism, but after the BJP came to power in the state under CM Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma 95 Naxalites have been eliminated in 4 months.

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