Snowden Demands A Penalty For Misuse Of Aadhaar Data
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained by residents of India, based on their biometric and demographic data. It is the larges Biometric ID program in the world.
Speaking from Moscow, Edward Snowden says that if the Indian government was serious about implementing Aadhaar for public good, it must ensure "criminal penalty."
The Indian government must apply a penalty on anyone using Aadhaar data for purposes other than public services, whistle blower Edward Snowden has said.
Addressing an event via video-conference, he said that if the Indian government was serious about implementing Aadhaar for public good, it must ensure "criminal penalty" against anyone misusing the data. Mass surveillance system would look like Aadhaar as it creates systemisation of society, he told the fifth edition of 'Talk Journalism' event organised recently.
Systemisation of society is something that is not stated in the scheme of things for the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), he added.
Replying to a question the surveillance issue, he said that no government will say that it has decided that "you don't have rights". They would rather say that they are bringing in a new programme that will safeguard people's rights and protect them.
Snowden said that it's a myth that youngsters are not concerned about privacy. Youngsters are very much concerned about their privacy, he added.
He made a point stating that citizens don't need to explain why they need privacy it's the government that needs to explain why people don't need rights.
The former USA secret agency CIA employee said that "we have privacy issues" because it helps those who violate it. He said that privacy can be safeguarded through better encryption systems and strong legal system.
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