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Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC
Context
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey 2nd 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
