Yatish yadav By

Yatish yadav Deputy Editor, New Indian Express

Ameising Luikham, Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs, raised a pertinent question during a meeting of top bureaucrats at the committee room of Cabinet Secretariat on May 18. He wanted to know whether the government had any specific recommendation as far as the compliance of Aadhaar Act 2016 is concerned. Many schemes of the Ministry are implemented through private institutions, but they lack protocols for ensuring secure storage of Aadhaar information with proper safeguards. Although there is nothing new about apprehensions raised by Luikham, it certainly draws attention since he is one of the government’s top officers, who are actually responsible for drafting and implementing the public policies on the ground.

The security issue has been debated within and outside the government since the 12-digit unique number came into existence in 2010. And, this has been troubling many despite the government’s repeated assurance that Aadhaar data is safe, and linking it with various schemes will help in delivery of the essential services a little more efficiently. Has this security concern been effectively addressed by the government? I don’t think so.

No government can claim its system is unbreakable. Americans thought they had the most sophisticated virtual wall in the world. The wishful thinking was demolished by the Chinese and many Eastern Europe-based state and non-state actors. We are standing on the threshold of a digital war. It is becoming harder to monitor the activities of cyber terrorist groups that are bent on harming the national security. The government needs to remember as data storage grows, so will its vulnerability.

There is cause for concern because the government is putting all its eggs in one basket. Starting from kitchen to the bank, whatever is essential for people to live and survive, now hinges upon the magical number and to the connected biometric profile. A top officer of the Agriculture Ministry in that meeting pointed out that if Aadhaar information of farmers could be linked with land records, Soil Health Cards and supply of fertilisers, it would enable calibrated delivery of requisite inputs. He is right. Data is great enabler. But, only when it is secure in your hand. If the volume of data grows together with the security mechanism, there is no fear. But, if data grows alone and is linked at various points without secured architecture, then there is fear, then something can go horribly wrong.

This issue was raised by a group of petitioners, who had moved the Supreme Court to contest the government’s action. Petitioners had argued that it was better to warn the government beforehand that it needs to keep the balance in digital governance. The government proposal, that linking Aadhaar is mandatory to avail the benefits of its schemes, has witnessed many deadlines. The government is open to extend it to March 31, 2018. In the meantime, the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court is to hear the petitioners and the government on the validity of Aadhaar.

Petitioners have argued that Section 8(2)(b) of the Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Act, 2016, is categorical that an agency requesting authentication ensures that the identity information of an individual is only used for submission to the Central Identities Data Repository of 12-digit biometric Unique Identification numbers for authentication and it does not authorise anyone to hold on to the number. In this context, the accountability of public and private institutions to safeguard the data is paramount. Can they deliver?

Amarjeet Sinha, Rural Development Secretary, had recently urged that clear protocols from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Unique Identification Authority of India is required to ensure security of data, as mandated by the Aadhaar Act. Sinha had suggested that trainings and workshops must be organised for NIC officers on safeguards, and protocols be followed for managing Aadhaar-related data. This shows we are not battle-ready. Not only do we lack adequate armour, but in certain areas the protective mechanism is hollow, empty.

Foes are many. From non-state actors operating in the dark web world, to the foreign agencies operative in cloak looking for the priceless data. And we must be perfectly ready to protect cyber attacks targeting Aadhaar, otherwise we will miss the ultimate objective and this efficient welfare drive might result in a security nightmare.

yatish@newindianexpress.com