Aadhaar: Ushering in a Commercialized Era of Surveillance in India
From the article:<p>&gt; However, unlike countries where similar schemes have been implemented, invasive bio-metric collection is being imposed as a condition for basic entitlements in India<p>Remember: India has a unique set of challenges to overcome if it has to survive and prosper as a nation. It is surrounded by not-so-amenable neighbors and with cross-border infiltration at a constant strategy used against India (&quot;death by thousand cuts&quot;).[1]<p>And almost 20 million Bangladeshis have illegally crossed over from the eastern border [2] [3] and (unfortunately, reportedly getting Aadhar cards through whatever means, which defeats the purpose if it is true), for a country of a billion odd people at risk with such high uncertainty profile - the requirement to identify at least their own citizens vs the intruders&#x2F; offenders becomes a strategic and security action from the government perspective.<p>I think we would be in wrong to compare the &quot;right to privacy&quot; in this scenario to that of the more developed nations that are pretty much geographically blessed&#x2F; isolated, population wise less dense, religiously homogenous and technologically advanced as such that they can track covertly vis-a-vis getting biometric details directly. In fact, the Supreme Court of India has observed that [4] &quot;Supreme Court asks if right to privacy is absolute?&quot;<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pgurus.com&#x2F;india-superpower-or-balkanized-war-zone&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pgurus.com&#x2F;india-superpower-or-balkanized-war-zo...</a>
[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Illegal_immigration_to_India#Higher_judiciary.27s_concerns_over_Bangaladeshi_illegal_immigrants" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Illegal_immigration_to_India#H...</a>
[3] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;timesofindia.indiatimes.com&#x2F;india&#x2F;Two-crore-Bangladeshi-immigrants-illegally-staying-in-India-Centre-informs-Rajya-Sabha&#x2F;articleshow&#x2F;55457903.cms" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;timesofindia.indiatimes.com&#x2F;india&#x2F;Two-crore-Banglades...</a>
[4] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thehindu.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;national&#x2F;privacy-not-absolute-says-supreme-court&#x2F;article19308529.ece" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.thehindu.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;national&#x2F;privacy-not-absolute-s...</a>