Aadhaar data safe, govt. asserts in SC

Aadhaar data safe, govt. asserts in SC

Context

The government has assured the Supreme Court that Aadhaar is not a “fly-by-night effort to score some brownie points” and personal data collected from millions of people is safe from breach in storage facilities barricaded behind five-foot thick walls

SC’s observations vs government’s views

Chief Justice’s views

• Why persons, who prefer anonymity and consider their identity as a treasure, should also be compelled to part with their personal data to access services

Government’s views

• Aadhaar provides a right to physically exist without lying on the pavement without food. Only Rs 17 of Rs. 100 spent on anti-poverty projects actually reaches the poor. The rest is eaten up by middlemen and public servants. The right to a dignified and meaningful life for the poor far outweighed the right to privacy