The SC verdict in the ongoing case to ascertain the constitutional validity of Aadhaar will have far-reaching consequences
ON MARCH 12, a French hacker, who goes by the name of Baptiste Robert, claimed that over 20,000 Aadhaar cards were available online on both government and non-government websites for anyone to access, anyone with a computer. It is not the first time such a revelation has been made but it is timely as the Supreme Court is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging Aadhaar and is on its way to decide its constitutional validity.
Earlier, in the first week of January, a journalist working with the Tribune in Chandigarh had reported that, for ₹500, it was possible to ‘purchase’ access to the entire Aadhaar database for 10 minutes. The story had stirred a hornets’ nest and an uproar ensued after an FIR was filed against her by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). For any government working to create an electronic biometric identity database of this scale, such findings should act as cues to at least put the project on hold and order an independent audit. But here’s what the UIDAI did: on the day the French hacker regaled Twitterati by exposing flaws in the Aadhaar database, the UIDAI’s CEO, Ajay Bhushan Pandey, while speaking on a talk show, said with much pride that while attempts have been made from all around the world almost every day to hack India’s unique identification system, none of them has been successful so far. Whenever anyone has tried to flag the security flaws in the government’s ambitious project, the UIDAI has only been defensive in its response, dismissing such claims without feeling the need to look into them. In most cases, the problem has been ‘fixed’ by taking down such websites.
Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Hardnews.
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Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Hardnews.
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The Making Of A Hard State
By ratcheting up nationalistic sentiments to a fever pitch, the BJP is trying to reap political dividends.
The Business Of Encounters
The UP police claim that it has seized over ₹146 crore from ‘gangsters’ in the state in a matter of 11 months deserves closer scrutiny as allegations mount of arbitrariness in seizing properties
Cases 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000: What Is Happening To Netanyahu
Everything you need to know about the cases against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
India's Botched-up Id Project
The SC verdict in the ongoing case to ascertain the constitutional validity of Aadhaar will have far-reaching consequences
A 'Softer' Islam, For A Moderate Modi
DESPITE BEING UNDERRATED and under editorialised by the Indian media, there is nothing that anyone can really take away from the importance of the event organised by the Indian Islamic and Cultural Centre (IICC) to provide a forum for the visiting King of Jordan, His Majesty, King Abdullah II, to expound his views on the moderate nature of Islam and the imperative to fight radical Islam.
Net Neutrality and an Open Internet
In recent years, the campaign to maintain citizen's right to the Internet - and protect them from practices that would benefit only a few - has become firece and noisy.
Referendum on Cash Ban
If early polling is anything to go by, then the assembly elections across five states could mean an all or nothing scenario for the BJP
changing the demonetisation narrative like a chameleon changes colours
no matter what the spin around the note ban, it is clear the move was a politically expedient decision rather than a principled policy move.
Come and See The Blood In The Streets
Incidents of violence targetting the minorities have become routine in the last 16 months. Prime Minister Modis government has done little to shun the belief that the culprits dont enjoy its patronage.
The Gates of Memory: Two Hundred Years Of Silence
People take part in a ceremony at the monument "The Gates of Memory"near the village of Trostenets.