The purpose of Aadhaar Data Vault, as explained by UIDAI, is to reduce the footprint of the Aadhaar number within the system.
National Health Authority CEO and senior member of Aadhaar’s founding team RS Sharma on Wednesday criticized certain restrictions imposed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on the use of Unique IDs due to fears around privacy.
UIDAI’s first Director General Shri Sharma said that the concept of data vault is misleading which is adversely affecting the purpose of Aadhaar.
“The Aadhaar Act says that Aadhaar information should be kept securely. Aadhaar number is not an identity. It (data vault) is like keeping all the numbers on notes in a secure safe, saying these numbers are not disclosed. It’s a confusing way. Once you start with a wrong foundation everything else goes wrong. You came up with Aadhaar Data Vault,” Mr. Sharma speaking at a workshop organized by UIDAI Said happened.
UIDAI has recently introduced a concept of Aadhaar Data Vault which is a centralized storage for all Aadhaar numbers collected by authorized agencies.
The purpose of Aadhaar Data Vault, as explained by UIDAI, is to reduce the footprint of the Aadhaar number within the organization’s systems and environment, hence reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Mr Sharma said that then UIDAI has created the concept that Aadhaar will not be published which is misleading.
“I mean this is my aadhaar. The number of the person is not related to the government. I can publish it. How can someone tell me that if I publish my aadhaar number you will be jailed. That’s another There is confusion that has started happening,” he said.
“In the name of privacy you should not kill the purpose. Privacy should not compromise functionality. Unfortunately we have done it this way. Privacy can be exercised without compromising on full functionality,” he said.
Mr Sharma said the Supreme Court judgment defined reasonable requirements for confidentiality and the decision was followed by an amendment that allows voluntary use of Aadhaar to prove their identity.
“Don’t be afraid of some comrades talking about privacy. Privacy is a fundamental right but in the name of privacy you really shouldn’t kill the purpose. There is a principle of privacy by design. We have incorporated that principle into the design.” Careful of Aadhaar,” Mr Sharma said.
Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said he had developed the Aadhaar-enhanced RuPay debit card, but had to drop the project due to a rule that Aadhaar numbers cannot be publicly displayed.
He said people should be given a voluntary option to strengthen multi-identity.
Paytm CEO said, “Aadhaar is a booster shot for our economy. India’s success of financial inclusion, bringing governance to the masses, is an obligation how much Aadhaar is in it.”
He said that Aadhaar ID should be linked with other sets of data like CIBIL score, health etc.
“Bundling of Aadhaar data with some other data may (make) available to the system … the obligation to authenticate Aadhaar should be publicized to every nook and corner of the country, and (it) various other data including health Should be bundled with dots… so that I can verify anything else with Aadhaar,” Mr Sharma said.
He called for developing a sandbox for innovation around the base.
National e-Governance Division President and CEO Abhishek Singh also agreed with Sharma’s view that no restriction should be imposed on Aadhaar number sharing.
“Disclosure of Aadhaar number does not involve any risk. Using it can lead to a lot of value. It is up to us whether we choose to create value without being intimidated and not realizing the true potential of digital infrastructure. Let’s do what we’ve made.” Mr Singh said.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) MD and CEO Sujay Bose said that under certain rules individuals should be allowed to share their data and the government should develop rules for sharing of data.
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