Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC

Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC

Context

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey  2^nd day of presentation before Supreme Court on Aadhaar

What was communicated to SC?

• No Breach in the past: There has not been a single breach in the past seven years in the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) that stores and manages data for the country’s Aadhaar project
• Purpose blind data: UIDAI did not “collect emotions, likes/dislikes or pull out data” of individuals. For UIDAI, authentication of Aadhaar details was “purpose-blind.” It had no aggregate record of the purpose, location or details of data of Aadhaar holders
• Core biometrics” like fingerprints and iris scans are only shared if there is a national security threat. Even this would require consent at the Cabinet Secretary level
• Sharing demographic Aadhaar details like name, gender, date of birth and place would require the consent of the district judge
• Authentication process was done through the UIDAI software and any unauthorised sharing of personal information at the time of enrolment or authentication would make a person liable to imprisonment for three years under Section 37 of the Aadhaar Act
• Technology was challenged everyday and the UIDAI was constantly engaged in improving the safeguards
• UIDAI was working closely with the Justice Sri Krishna Committee on the data protection law