AADHAAR - Benefits and Privacy Concerns

Aadhar has become a primary document of identity of citizens of India and this identity doesn't only include demographic info but also the biometrics identity and identity in other domains like finance (eg. bank), government schemes etc. by linking Aadhar with other services.

Supreme Court of India has declared Right to privacy as a fundamental right therefore its protection is to be guaranteed by the state. This judgement has opened the gate to case of Aadhar where a big section feels that Aadhar should be reviewed due to various privacy concerns it poses

Privacy concerns with Aadhar

1. Aadhar collects enormous data of 1billion plus people but it is not supported by any Data protection law
2. Compulsory linking of Aadhar with various schemes & services means that the govt could snoop into citizens affairs ranging from consumption, preferences, travel, banking activities to phone calls
3. There's no adequate protection under Aadhar Act which could ensure that the data collected by the govt would not pass on to private players
4. No any effective grievance redressal mechanism could be established till now

However, if these concerns are allayed, Aadhar could be leveraged to various benefits

Benefits of Aadhar

1. Its a landmark innovation to hit in major governance issues plaguing our nation i.e. corruption, ghost beneficiaries, intermediaries, duplication etc
2. Unique identify of Aadhar enables for a platform for smooth delivery of plethora of schemes to the citizens
3. Linking with PAN card could help to broaden direct tax base and track tax evadors

Aadhar is a revolutionary tool which hold promise to transform the governance of our nation provided that the issues emerging from it are taken care of and a confidence is built among citizens.Although, Aadhaar Act has curbed the existing Corruption in the System to make it more transparent and responsible, there is need to take adequate steps to ensure that Right to Privacy is not breached and Aadhaar Data is safe with agencies with Robust Security features.

By: Harman Sandhu