Beware of Aadhaar: A Warning on India’s Biometric Identity Model

Aadhaar is India’s unique identity number, linked with a person’s biometrics (fingerprints, iris and photograph as of now). The number was rolled out with fanfare from 2009 onwards. The use of this number, and of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA), was promoted to the hilt by the Indian government in close collaboration with the IT industry. Aadhaar was supposed to be voluntary, but it quickly became clear that living without it would be very difficult for most. Today, it is as good as compulsory. Most social benefits are out of reach without Aadhaar.

Aadhaar was rolled out in an explicitly “evangelistic” mode from day one. In recent years, it has been projected as a grand success by its promoters. Their friends in high places (like Davos, the World Bank, and the B&M Gates Foundation) are on board. There is an attempt, partly successful already, to project Aadhaar as a model and “export” it to other countries.

For our part, we view Aadhaar as a failed and objectionable model that should not be replicated in other countries, certainly not in its Indian version.

Our main concerns are as follows:

1. Aadhaar involves the creation a centralized database that includes biometrics as well as demographic information (e.g. name, gender, date of birth and address). This could turn into a dangerous tool of social control, especially but not only in the hands of an authoritarian government.

2. The linkage of numerous databases with Aadhaar magnifies the danger of it becoming a tool for profiling, surveillance, exclusion and worse. Centralized databases also pose data security risks by creating a single point of failure.

3. While the “core biometrics” (biometrics minus photograph) in the Aadhaar database are supposed to be secure, the rest is freely shared with authorised users of Aadhaar authentication, with minimal safeguards. This is a major infringement of privacy.

4. The demographic details attached to Aadhaar numbers in the database are full of errors, partly due to hasty rollout. Yet severe restrictions have been placed on correcting this information. Meanwhile, people are expected to align other documents with this unreliable information. This is causing endless hassles to poor people. Many of them are excluded from some or all social benefits.

5. Biometric failures are another major source of social exclusion, especially for the elderly. Aadhaar was rolled out without any transparency about the reliability of biometric authentication.

6. A significant minority of people, mainly from marginalised groups (including disabled persons), do not have Aadhaar for some reason and no fault of their own. They are excluded from most social benefits.

7. If an Aadhaar number is lost, it can be very difficult to retrieve. Poor people have been forced to make long and expensive trips to regional assistance centres for this purpose. Some never managed to retrieve it, and are now deprived of all social benefits.

8. The coercive “seeding” of Aadhaar with endless databases (ration cards, job cards, pension lists, bank accounts, voter lists, what not), associated with function creep, is a monumental waste of time for functionaries and citizens. Seeding sounds simple but it requires biometric or demographic verification. Both can be very cumbersome.

9. The rush for correction or update of Aadhaar details has led to humongous queues at many assistance centres, where people often wait in line for hours with no guarantee of remedy. There are no facilities for tracking of grievance redressal, continuity of assistance, or other relief. People’s time and money are wasted to no end.

10. Far from rooting out corruption, Aadhaar’s centralised database has enhanced information asymmetries and reduced transparency. Integration of Aadhaar with the banking system has magnified exposure to new vulnerabilities such as identity fraud.

11. At every step, the Aadhaar project has been a law unto itself. It began without any legal backing. Later, the Aadhaar Act was passed by bypassing the Upper House of Parliament. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) often violates orders of the Supreme Court of India (e.g., protections for children and against use by private entities). It has enormous power and regularly issues rules that make life difficult for millions, without any serious feedback from affected people. A critical provision for parliamentary oversight of UIDAI was dropped in the final version of the Aadhaar Act.

Articles and reports amplifying these concerns are available at rethinkaadhaar.in

The promoters of Aadhaar were never able to justify this particular identity model or to explain what ills it is supposed to remedy. Instead, they relied on propaganda to push for it. Many countries have functional identity systems that are less coercive, invasive, exclusionary and unreliable than Aadhaar.

We urge the greatest caution from countries that are considering a replication of the Aadhaar model. We would be happy to facilitate field visits for anyone interested in understanding these problems in more detail.

(Endorsed by more than 50 organisations, aside from individual signatories – see attached list.)

Signatory Organisations

1. All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA)

2. All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ)

3. All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA)

4. All India Students’ Association (AISA)

5. Ambedkarijame Punadi (Andhra Pradesh)

6. Bahutva Karnataka

7. Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD)

8. Dalit Bahujan Front

9. Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF)

10. Gig and Platform Services Workers Union

11. Grakoos Union

12. Hamal Panchayat (trade union)

13. Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)

14. Internet Freedom Foundation

15. Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan (JJSS)

16. Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA)

17. Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM)

18. JNU Students Union

19. Karwan e Mohabbat

20. Khudai Khidmatgar India

21. LibTech India

22. Maadhyam (a civic engagement initiative)

23. Maharashtra Shramik Ustod & Vahtuk Kamgar Sanghatana (trade union)

24. Manjeera Dalitha Seva Samithi (Telangana)

25. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)

26. Moneylife Foundation

27. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

28. National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR)

29. National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Workers

30. National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCCUSW)

31. National Campaign Committee on Eradication of Bonded Labour (NCCEBL)

32. National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI)

33. National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR)

34. National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW)

35. National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD)

36. New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)

37. NREGA Sangharsh Morcha

38. NREGA Watch (Jharkhand)

39. Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS)

40. Pension Parishad

41. People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

42. People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR)

43. RANG Foundation

44. Rethink Aadhaar

45. Right to Food Campaign

46. Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA)

47. Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT)

48. Samalochana Association (Andhra Pradesh)

49. Sangatin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS)

50. Satark Nagrik Sangathan

51. Social Accountability Forum for Action and Research (SAFAR)

52. SR Sankaran Adivasi Sahaya Kendram (Andhra Pradesh)

53. United Forum for RTI Campaign (Andhra Pradesh)

54. United Milli Forum (Jharkhand)

Individual Signatories

1. Aakar Patel, Writer

2. Aban Raza, concerned citizen

3. Abha Bhaiya, India coordinator, One Billion Rising campaign

4. Aditi Mishra, Jawaharlal Nehru University

5. Adv Albertina, National Alliance of People’s Movements

6. Advocate Dr Shalu Nigam, Lawyer and researcher

7. Advocate Vertika Mani, Org. Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties

8. Akhila Phadnis, concerned citizen

9. Akshay S Dinesh, Action for Equity

10. Alok Laddha, Chennai Mathematical Institute

11. Alphonse Raj, concerned citizen

12. Amber Sinha, Tech Policy Press

13. Ambika Tandon, University of Cambridge

14. Anand Mazgaonkar, concerned citizen

15. Anand Patwardhan, Filmmaker

16. Anand Teltumbde, Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Mumbai

17. Anantha, concerned citizen

18. Anivar A Aravind, concerned citizen

19. Ankita Aggarwal, concerned citizen

20. Annie Raja, concerned citizen

21. Anjor, Dialogues on Democracy and Development

22. Anupam Pachauri, Indira Gandhi National Open University

23. Anuradha Talwar, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity

24. Anurag Mehra, Retired IIT Faculty

25. Arun Khote, National Movement for Land, Labour & Justice

26. Arun Kumar, Retired Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University

27. Aruna Rodrigues, concerned citizen

28. Aruna Roy, School for Democracy

29. Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM Convenor

30. Arundhati Roy, Writer

31. Ashish Ranjan, National Alliance of People’s Movements

32. Ashlesh Biradar, Brave New Web

33. Ashok Bharti, National Confederation of Dalit Organisations

34. Ashokan Nambiar, C MAHE, Manipal, Karnataka

35. Avantika Tewari, Jawaharlal Nehru University

36. Baghamabar Pattnaik, Anti-slavery India

37. Bela Bhatia, Lawyer and writer

38. Bezwada Wilson, National Convenor, Safai Karmchari Andolan

39. Bhanuj Kappal, Independent journalist

40. Bhanwar Meghwanshi, People’s Union for Civil Liberties

41. Bhargav Oza, National Alliance for Justice, Accountability, and Rights

42. Bhoomika Pandhare, concerned citizen

43. Bhupen Singh, University of Sussex

44. Bittu K R, Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression

45. Brinda Crishna, concerned citizen

46. Budhaditya Bhattacharya, concerned citizen

47. Chirashree Das Gupta, Jawaharlal Nehru University

48. Clifton D'Rosario, advocate

49. Colin Gonsalves, advocate

50. Danish Ali, concerned citizen

51. Dayamani Barla, concerned citizen

52. Deep Chandra Joshi, concerned citizen

53. Devi, All India Democratic Women’s Association

54. Dorothy Vallado, concerned citizen

55. Dr Indu Prakash Singh, Facilitator, CityMakers Mission International

56. Dr Sudhir Vombatkere, concerned citizen

57. Dr Sylvia Karpagam, Public health doctor

58. Dwiji Guru, National Alliance of People’s Movements

59. Edwin, OpenSpace

60. Firoz Ahmad, school teacher

61. Francis Bosco, National Federation of Unorganised and Migrant Workers

62. Gangaram Paikra, concerned citizen

63. Gautam Bhatia, Constitutional law scholar and Professor of Law

64. Gouranga Mohapatra, Jana Swasthya Abhiyan Odisha

65. Gowramma, Akila Bharath Janavadi Mahila Sangatane (Karnataka)

66. H M Sunasara, concerned citizen

67. Harish Dhawan, concerned citizen

68. Harsh Mander, Karwan e Mohabbat

69. Hemant Sareen, concerned citizen

70. Himmat Singh Ratnoo, Former Secretary MDU Teachers' Association (MDUTA) Rohtak

71. Hindolee Datta, concerned citizen

72. Indira C, Public health researcher

73. Indira Unninayar, Advocate, Supreme Court and Delhi High Court

74. Jagdish Patel, concerned citizen

75. Jayati Ghosh, Economist

76. James Herenj, NREGA Watch Jharkhand

77. Jean Drèze, Development economist

78. John Dayal, Writer

79. John Simte, Lawyer

80. Justice A.P. Shah, Retired Judge and former Chairman of the Law Commission of India

81. JT D’souza, concerned citizen

82. K.A. Verghese, Green Kerala

83. Karen Gabriel, St Stephen's College, Delhi

84. Karuna M, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha

85. Kalyani Menon Sen, Independent researcher

86. Kelvin, concerned citizen

87. Kiran Jonnalagadda, concerned citizen

88. Koninika Ray, National Federation of Indian Women

89. Krishnakant Chauhan, Activist

90. Laavanya Tamang, Independent researcher

91. Lawrence Liang, Legal academic

92. Laxmi Murthy, Journalist and researcher

93. Lubna Sarwath, Advocate

94. M S Sriram, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

95. M. Balakrishnan, concerned citizen

96. Maimoona Mollah, Women's rights activist

97. Martin Macwan, concerned citizen

98. Matthe Mautarelli, concerned citizen

99. Meera Sanghamitra, National Alliance of People’s Movements

100. Meghna Jayanth, concerned citizen

101. Meghna Yadav, Researcher

102. Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (retd)

103. Mukul Kesavan, Retired teacher

104. Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi

105. Nandita Narain, Associate Professor (Retd), St. Stephen's College, Delhi University

106. Nandita Sengupta, Journalist, Times of India

107. Navsharan Singh, Researcher activist

108. Nayanjyoti, Lecturer in Development Studies, Delhi

109. NB Murthy, concerned citizen

110. Neeraj Hatekar, Researcher

111. Nikhil Dey, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan

112. Nishant S, Researcher

113. Nishi, concerned citizen

114. Nitish Kumar, Former JNUSU President

115. Nivedita Menon, Jawaharlal Nehru University

116. Om Damani, concerned citizen

117. P. Sainath, journalist

118. Padmini Ramesh, Johns Hopkins University

119. Paran Amitava, PhD Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University

120. Parth Sharma, Nivarana

121. Parthasarathi Paul, concerned citizen

122. Persis Ginwalla, concerned citizen

123. Praavita, Rethink Aadhaar

124. Pradeep E, concerned citizen

125. Pradyumna Behera, Independent researcher

126. Prafulla Samantara, President, Lok Shakti Abhiyan

127. Prakash Louis, Bihar migrant hub

128. Prasad Chacko, Social worker, Ahmedabad

129. Prasanna S, Advocate, Supreme Court of India

130. Praveer Peter, National Alliance of People’s Movements

131. Prof Ritu Dewan, Director (Retd), Mumbai School of Economics & Public Policy

132. Prof. Mohan Rao, concerned citizen

133. Purbayan C, Advocate

134. Pushpendra, Former Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

135. Rahul Basu, concerned citizen

136. Raj Shekhar, Right to Food Campaign

137. Rajaraman, Independent journalist and researcher

138. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, concerned citizen

139. Rajinder Chaudhary, Former Professor of Economics, MD University, Rohtak

140. Rama Teltumbde, concerned citizen

141. Raman Jit Singh Chima, Lawyer

142. Ramdas Rao, Member, People’s Union for Civil Liberties

143. Rammanohar Reddy, Editor

144. Reetika Khera, Development economist

145. Renuka Kad, concerned citizen

146. Ritash, RANG Foundation

147. Rohini Hensman, Writer and independent scholar

148. Rohith Jyothish, concerned citizen

149. Rosamma Thomas, concerned citizen

150. S.Q. Masood, ASEEM

151. Sakina Dhorajiwala, LibTech India

152. Sameet Panda, Right to Food Campaign

153. Sandeep Khurana, Retired professional

154. Sandeep Mertia, Stevens Institute of Technology

155. Sarah M, concerned citizen

156. Seema Mahi, concerned citizen

157. Shabnam Hashmi, Independent social activist

158. Shahjahan, concerned citizen

159. Shahvir Aga, concerned citizen

160. Shailja Tandon, concerned citizen

161. Shailly Gupta, concerned citizen

162. Shantha Sinha, Independent advocate of children's rights

163. Sharanya, Indigenous People’s Land, Life and Knowledge Collective

164. Shishu Ranjan, All India Forum for Right to Education

165. Shiva Shankar, Retired academic

166. Shreekant Gupta, Professor (retired), University of Delhi

167. Shruti Narayan, Lawyer

168. Siddharth de Souza, concerned citizen

169. Siddhartha Das, Public health activist

170. Snehan Kekre, Technologist

171. Sookthi K, concerned citizen

172. Srikanth, CashlessConsumer

173. Srinivas Kodali, Independent researcher

174. Srujana Bej, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University

175. Stella James, Independent legal consultant

176. Sucheta Dalal, Founder Trustee, Moneylife Foundation

177. Sudhir Gandotra, concerned citizen

178. Sunil Kaul, Right to Food and Information

179. Suresh Chandra Joshi, concerned citizen

180. Suruchi, concerned citizen

181. Swathi, Eddelu, Karnataka

182. Swati Desai, concerned citizen

183. Swati Narayan, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru

184. Syed Asif Ali Zaidi, Lawyer

185. T M Krishna, Musician and author

186. T. Ramakrishnan, concerned citizen

187. Tarangini Sriraman, King's College, London

188. Timir Basu, Frontier Weekly

189. Trilochan S, concerned citizen

190. Uma Chakravarti, historian

191. Usha Ramanathan, Independent law researcher

192. V Rukmini Rao, Feminist activist

193. V Upadhyay, Retired professor

194. Vasavi Kiro, concerned citizen

195. Vasundhar, concerned citizen

196. Veena Shatrugna, Independent researcher

197. Vickram Crishna, Independent researcher

198. Vimala k.s., concerned citizen

199. Vipul Paikra, Independent researcher

200. Vivek K, concerned citizen

201. Winona D'Souza, Lawyer, Mumbai