Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairperson Ram Sewak SharmaFacebook

Ram Sewak Sharma said he challenged people to show him how their knowledge of his unique identity number, also known as Aadhaar number, could be used to harm him

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairperson Ram Sewak Sharma on Saturday shared his Aadhaar number on Twitter, challenging people to show him how their knowledge of the unique identity number could be used to harm him.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained by residents of India, based on their biometric and demographic data.

However, it led to severe backlash on Twitter with several users claiming that they were able to obtain his personal details, such as his PAN and mobile number, using the Aadhaar number.

“My Aadhaar number is.....Now I give this challenge to you: Show me one concrete example where you can do any harm to me!” Sharma wrote on Twitter, seeking to debunk the theory that Aadhaar compromises a person’s privacy.

Ram Sewak Sharma's Tweet | Screenshot

Some Twitter users claimed to have dug out his mobile number, photographs, residential address, date of birth and even chat threads based on his Aadhaar number. Others cautioned him against challenging people in such a way on social media.

“Sir, please do a press conference or provide some legal assurance that you won’t be bothered if anything illegal happens with your Aadhaar,” one user wrote. “Lies have been your habits. So there is no ground on why we should trust your tweet. Then we will show you who we are.”

“Thanks. You did it before others,” another user tweeted. “Sharmaji, everything including the colour of your commonly used underwear and your dates can be pulled out and shared. For biometric, there is a fee involved. No more free lunches. Better luck next time.”

A French cyber security expert, who uses the moniker Elliot Alderson, wrote on Twitter, “People managed to get your personal address, dob [date of birth] and your alternate phone number. I stop here, I hope you will understand why make your #Aadhaar number public is not a good idea.”

Is this some new height of silliness? What are you trying to prove - that you can't be touched OR that 'things can go wrong for an individual' is a foolish assumption! Keep the bravado to yourself. Kindly understand #privacy and respect it before playing antics on social media! — Vijaya Moorthy (@vmoorthynow) July 28, 2018

He denied several users’ claims of victory over “leaking” his personal details. “No I did not challenge them for phone number and other info,” Sharma wrote on Twitter. “I challenged them for causing me harm! So far no success. Wish them luck.”

“Data privacy is a big and very important issue in a digital world. I am one of the most vociferous supporters of that,” Sharma wrote in another tweet. “However, the only thing I am saying is that Aadhaar does not violate privacy.”

This article was originally published by scroll.in and has been republished under special arrangements