Rajya Sabha passes Bill on voluntary use of Aadhaar as identity proof

The amendment was passed by a voice vote. Last week, the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha amidst opposition from several quarters

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which permits intentional utilization of Aadhaar as confirmation of character for clients to open ledgers and get cell phone association.

The alteration was passed by a voice vote. A week ago, the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in the midst of restriction from a few quarters. The recently passed Bill additionally gives the Unique distinguishing proof Authority of India, the organization that controls Aadhaar, the ability to now give bearings as it might think about important to any substance in the Aadhaar biological system.

The Bill had likewise revised the Aadhaar Act to enable the general population to enroll objections in specific cases, including pantomime or divulgence of their character, while the Aadhaar Act possibly enabled courts to take perception of an offense if UIDAI enlisted a grievance.

The Bill likewise accommodates a precarious Rs 1 crore punishment and a correctional facility term for private substances damaging arrangements on Aadhaar information. The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was presented in Lok Sabha on June 24. The revisions accommodate utilization of Aadhaar number for KYC verification on deliberate premise under the Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Aadhaar database can be misused and abused: Edward Snowden

The UIDAI said the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure

A day after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) denied that there was any breach of the Aadhaar database, American whistleblower Edward Snowden said on Friday that the Aadhaar database conceived and introduced by the Indian government can also be misused and abused.

Retweeting CBS journalist Zack Whittaker's response on a BuzzFeed report on the breach of Aadhaar database in India, Snowden said, "It is the natural tendency of government to desire perfect records of private lives. History shows that no matter the laws, the result is abuse."

Whittaker had earlier said, "ICYMI. India has a national ID database with the private information of nearly 1.2 billion nationals. It's reportedly been breached. Admin accounts can be made and access can be sold to the database, reports BuzzFeed."

The UIDAI on Thursday said the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure.

It termed The Tribune report titled 'Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details' a case of misreporting.

"There has not been any Aadhaar data breach. The Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure," the UIDAI said in a statement.

This development has come at a time when the Supreme Court is set to begin the final hearing of petitions challenging the legality of Aadhaar programme based on privacy concerns on January 17.

In August 2017, the Supreme Court held that privacy is a fundamental right under the Constitution of India.