Briefing Statement Seven years of research, advocacy and campaign on surveillance through Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) of UID/Aadhaar numbers
Seven years of a memorable Press Conference on UID, an anti-UID/Aadhaar event not covered under external influence 28 September, 2017 On completing seven years of its work on surveillance through Panopticon called Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) of UID/Aadhaar numbers, Citizens Form for Civil Liberties (CFCL) recollects a memorable press conference on “The UID Project” which was held at the Press Club, New Delhi on 28 September, 2010 from 12 noon onwards. As concerned citizens the eminent speakers raised questions about the UID project and undemocratic process, Privacy, Surveillance, Profiling, Tracking and Convergence which can happen with the help of the UID number. The conference was attended by print and electronic media wherein the speakers shared details about how this has the potential to violate citizens’ right to privacy and transform the state-citizen relationship and will affect every resident using Unique Identity (UID) Number. This number has been branded as Aadhaar. Coincidentally, there was a "Bangalore based Adhar Trust that Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani set up to fund their initiatives into a government function." Adhar Trust was in news in August 2003. It was reported in financial newspapers and business magazines. It was reported that Adhar Trust donated 4.75 crore to the initiatives of Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) at that point in time. Bangalore based researchers confirmed it when Aadhaar name was chosen as the brand name of 12 digit unique identification (UID) number. The coincidence of NGO of Rohini Nilekani & Nandan Nilekani having 'Adhar' name and UID getting "Aadhaar" name remains inexplicable and quite stark. The UID project was renamed the Aadhaar project after the UIDAI avowedly had a nationwide competition to find a logo and a brand name. Curiously, Aadhaar name echoes the name of based Adhar Trust. The journalists present at the press conference on 28 September asked many questions of concern. The conference continued for a long time. Even after the press conference several journalists stayed back to speak to the speakers for long. After the press conference, the organizers Campaign for No UID and Citizens Form for Civil Liberties (CFCL) found that the attendance sheet of all the journalists who attended the conference was missing. On 29 September there was no coverage of the anti-UID/Aadhaar event under some external influence through a public relations agency. Some journalists informed that they had filed the story but it was not published. The lesson from the incident is that when there is a contest between journalists and public relations professionals, the latter prevails through media owners. This was the day one which biometric UID/Aadhaar number was launched by Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh in Maharashtra in the presence of Nilekani as Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India, (UIDAI). On 24 August, 2017, when 9-Judge Constitution Bench of Supreme Court gave its verdict on Right to Privacy, the statement of concern issued at the press conference on 28 September 2010 signed by seventeen eminent signatories was vindicated. The signatories included personalities like Late Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Retired Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice A.P.Shah, Retired Chief Justice of High Court of Delhi, Prof Romila Thapar, Historian, Late K.G.Kannabiran, Senior Civil Liberties Lawyer, Bezwada Wilson, Safai Karamchari Andolan, Aruna Roy, MKKS, Rajasthan, Late S.R.Sankaran, Retired Secretary, Government of India, Upendra Baxi, Jurist and ex-Vice Chancellor of Universities of Surat and Delhi, Uma Chakravarthi, Historian, Shohini Ghosh, Teacher and Film Maker, Amar Kanwar, Film Maker, Trilochan Sastry, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, and Association for Democratic Reforms, Prof. Jagdeep S. Chhokar , ex- IIM Ahemadabad, and Association for Democratic Reforms, Kavita Srivastava, PUCL and Right to Food Campaign, Shabnam Hashmi, ANHAD and Deep Joshi, Independent Consultant. The statement asked the government to halt the project. It demanded that a feasibility study be done covering all aspects of this issue, experts be tasked with studying its constitutionality, the law on privacy be urgently worked on, a cost : benefit analysis be done and a public, informed debate be conducted before any such major change be brought in. The speakers addressing the press conference informed the media that the UID project is supposed to give every resident a Unique Identity (UID) Number, has been initiated without any prelude: there is no project document; there is no feasibility study; there has been no cost: benefit analysis; there are serious concerns about data and identity theft. The UID project has proceeded so far without any legal authorization, on the basis of an executive order, that could change the status of the people in this country, with effects on our security and constitutional rights, and a consideration of all aspects of the project should be undertaken with this in mind. The speakers at the press conference on 28 September 2010 drew the attention of the media towards the fact that national IDs have been abandoned in the US, Australia and the newly-elected British government. The reasons have predominantly been: costs and privacy. In the UK, the Home Secretary explained that they were abandoning the project because it would otherwise be `intrusive bullying’ by the state, and that the government intended to be the `servant’ of the people, and not their `master’. In the late nineties, the Supreme Court of Philippines struck down a biometric based national ID system as unconstitutional on two grounds – the overreach of the executive over the legislative powers of the congress and invasion of privacy. The same is applicable in India – UIDAI has been constituted on the basis of a GoI notification and there is a fundamental risk to civil liberties with the convergence of UID, NATGRID and the National Population Register. For Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL) it all began with a late night lecture on the subject of 12-digit biometric Unique Identification (UID)/Aadhaar based surveillance by Dr Usha Ramanathan, a noted scholar of jurisprudence at Godavari Hostel in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi in April 2010. This was the first lecture on the subject in JNU. This lecture inspired the launch of CFCL as an initiative of MediaVigil, a forum of old students of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), which comprises of media practitioners, scholars, researchers and social activists. Since the CFCL has been working relentlessly on the subject of UID/Aadhaar and related implications of surveillance technologies, big data and artificial intelligence on natural rights. A brief chronology of CFCL”s work is enclosed as part of the complete text of the briefing statement. CFCL has written over 150 articles in Hindi and English on the subject and issued several briefing papers, petitions, public statements and press releases. Most of them are available in public domain. CFCL’s documents its works in its annual journal. It has rigorously archived and documented the goings on related to UID/Aadhaar case in particular. Besides Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, CFCL has engaged with Parliamentary Standing Committee on Subordinate Legislation, and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and others. During the course of these seven years CFCL has held numerous press conferences, seminars and addressed audiences in New Delhi, Alwar, Ranchi, Chandigarh, Patna, Bhubneshwar, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Raipur and in several universities with several institutions, groups and movements like Indian Social Action Forum, National Alliance for Peoples Movements, PUCL, Deccan Development Society, SRUTI, Centre for Internet Society (CIS), The Fifth Estate and MKSS. It has been part of efforts at getting resolutions and declarations seeking stoppage of UID/Aadhaar and related schemes adopted and passed in several state capitals. CFCL It has assisted several of the 25 petitioners in the Supreme Court and some High Courts. At present CFCL is busy assisting the victims of UID/Aadhaar. It awaits the hearing on the constitutionality of UID/Aadhaar scheme of 2009, UID/Aadhaar Act, 2016 and Finance Act 2017 by the original 3-Judge Bench as per the order of 9-Judge Constitution Bench. CFCL has briefed over a dozen political parties and several senior leaders about how big data and cyber-biometric technology companies undermine natural and democratic rights. It has critiqued one of the several versions of Human DNA Profiling Bill. It has sent its initial submission to Committee of Experts on data protection framework for India headed by Justice B.N. Shrikrishna. CFCL’s work is journey for the protection of natural rights from its corporal and incorporeal enemies. For Details: Gopal Krishna, Convener, Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL), E-mail: [email protected], Mb: 9818089660, 08227816731, Web: www.toxicswatch.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. 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Seven years of research, advocacy and campaign on UIDAadhaar based surveillance.docx
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