Breach of Citizens’ Trust

We, the undersigned, fully support the initiative taken by the Jalandhar-based Tribune staff correspondent Rachna Khaira to expose the loopholes in the security of Aadhaar data. The failure on the part of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the central government to secure the personal data of its citizens is not only a highly deplorable act, but also a breach of the trust of the people, who, trusting the system, have faithfully given their personal details to the government agencies concerned.

Instead of honestly admitting the lapses in maintaining the security of the data, the UIDAI has adopted a path of confrontation, by registering a first information report (FIR) in the case, without considering the fact that it was an honest endeavour on the part of the Tribune correspondent to highlight the vulnerabilities in the Aadhaar safeguards.