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"...On Saturday, even as it was still dawning on most Bangaloreans that the much-awaited date to enrol for the Unique Identification Card (UID) or Aadhaar had finally arrived, 71-year-old Lata Idnani was already making her way to HAL II Stage post office. In the event, she became the first Bangalorean to complete Aadhar formalities..."

"..At the post office, mother and son were very impressed by the way things were run, and said they had never seen government employees who were so helpful and did their jobs with so much interest. “Those people were already in place by 7.30 am. After filling up the form, we had to get back in the queue once again to get the scans done. I am old and I had trouble with the scanning machine. The lady at the counter helped me,” Lata explained..."

Courtesy - Bangalore Mirror

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2011062720110627054523320cbe057da/Sprightly-71yrold-woman-is-first-off-the-UID-mark.html

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Looking at the email reply from UIDAI, one needs to carry 2 docs (one for Identity and one for address proof) to the post office.

"...Dear Mr. Khader,

Thank you for writing to Aadhaar helpdesk.

First of we would like to clarify that Aadhaar number will not be issued in the form of a card for various reasons like potential misuse, loss, theft etc. Aadhaar number will be issued as a 12 digit number which will be delivered to you via speed-post. Apart from the unique number, it will also contain your full name, year of birth, photo, gender & place of residence.

Please find the attached list for proof of address and proof of identity accepted by UIDAI to issue the Aadhaar number to the resident of India. With the attached list of documents you can enroll in any part of the country and get your Aadhaar number to the address mention. .."

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There is an article in DH regarding availability of forms. TV channels also are carrying the news. Have the POs have run out of forms? Some are distributing 50-60 forms only. Is that enough for the city of Bengaluru? We cant downlaod from the site as they are not accepted per the POs.  

Researching and designing the system can be done easily. Implementing it is a whole different ballgame. This is where the problem starts. Where are the concerned officials? 

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 1. The UID act is not passed by parliament. The act to protect privacy has not been passed.

2. People got the identity because they have land, house, etc. Is it correct to use this as a reason to force people to have UID.

3. Even if UID is introduced, it should only for government use, for health care, welfare etc. It should not be allowed to be used by the private sector. When the private sector creates a database with UID, what will be the need for centralized database. Every citizen should have the right to refuse to give out UID.

4. The process of obtaining UID itself is a violation of privacy. Iris scan is a big invasion of privacy.

It could be considered as a case study of private sector involvement in governance. I think they have been insensitive to the concerns of the citizens.

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This is a article written in 2009 but has useful information on Security Challenges and Privacy issues.

Courtesy - Infosecurity

UID Project – Security Challenges and Privacy Issues

Some Excerpts from this column.

Need for UID

In India, we have different methods of identifying and verifying individuals; it is either done through a PAN card, passport, driving licence, ration card, voters’ ID card, LIC policy or even a letter from the Gram Panchayat or corporator. Any of these identification documents could also have varying information, which then leads to irregularity. The lack of a standardised method of identification is apparent. Hence, there is a need for unique identification of every individual. It is being created in such a manner that it is applicable across all sectors, and is recognised as a standard proof of identity. It is being designed to be unique so that nobody is able to duplicate or misuse it.

What is UID?

To put it simply, UID is a unique 16 digit number that is assigned to each individual in our billion-plus population, which will be used to identify the person for all interactions he or she will have with any public body, regulatory authority or law-enforcement agency. It will work much like social security numbers do in the United States, except that UID will be more wide-ranging. The UID along with the biometric data, will serve as a conclusive proof of identity across India, making it unnecessary for any citizen to carry multiple documentation from a variety of government agencies. It can be used while traveling, opening a bank account, getting a telephone connection, voting in elections and so on.

For more Read Here

A very well articulated and covers all aspects of UID specially the security and privacy issues. Most importantly it also suggests the safegaurds to be employed for each of the concerns.

As author points out " ...The concerns mentioned in this article do not necessarily mean that India’s planned UID program is not heading in the proper direction. But they signal a need for oversight to protect the privacy and equality rights of India’s citizens from the inherent security risks of a national database containing sensitive personal and biometric information..."

This is how  we need to address the issues without having to get influenced by ideological differences. Definitely not by getting hysterical and paranoid.

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