Q. How long does the UIDAI hold transaction data and what steps has it taken to ensure that the privacy of users’ data—demographic & transactional—will be safeguarded from any third party?
We are in the process of finalising the policy for that. UIDAI only gets the location, time and the device from which the authentication request came from. It is a federated database with in-built optimal ignorance among various players. At the design level itself, we don’t have transactional data, except that we had an authentication request. When we do authentication, if we get a claim that it is a ‘false accept’, we, in turn, have to investigate and that’ll decide how long we retain the data. We have to strike a balance between privacy issues and liability issues, looking at practices of banks and switching companies. But let me tell you that we take great care to safeguard the data. We encrypt at source; we anonymise data when we send it for verification; the database itself is encrypted; we have layers and layers of security. In fact, as far as biometrics is concerned, once we have extracted the minutiae, we put it offline.
Q. Is there a core R&D and tech team that will ensure continuous development and upgradation of Aadhar, especially in light of Indiawide field rollouts and scale?
(This story appears in the 18 October, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
it should be used on an international platform.
on Oct 10, 2013why should Aadhar be an Indian database - not international - to help with transactions internationally ??
on Oct 10, 2013data theft? Hope the datas may be retrieved from Mr.Snowden, Wikeleaks!
on Oct 9, 2013Aadhaar has created a bang without AADHAAR in India! So much hype was given in the beginning of the project. The target of issuing the Aadhaar cards was not reached at all. Many people complain of non receipt of Aadhaar Cards. Moreover there is no provision for signature. So one has to carry Aadhaar card besides PAN so substantiate identity. Here is a critical analysis of Aadhaar: (‘Aadhaar infringes on our fundamental right to privacy’, DEEPA KURUP,SEPTEMBER 30,2013 THE HINDU) http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/aadhaar-infringes-on-our-fundamental-right-to-privacy/article5182765.ece Many a well conceived projects were not successful or not on time and let us hope AADHAAR won\'t fall under this category. Best of luck Mr.Nandan Nilekani. Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
on Oct 8, 2013It\'s indeed brilliant idea to have a database of 1.2 billion people. Once we build this big database, we can run algorithms to find out the authenticity of data, find out information of illegal immigrants and ensure subsidies reach the correct people. No wonder lot of bright minds from Indian Silicon Valley quit their job to jon Nilekani. It will be a shame if the project is left mid-way. Mr. Nilekani should work towards addressing the privacy concerns of people and ensure that data is protected and not misused by unscrupulous elements inside the Aadhaar office or inside government. We need to build sci-fi like security levels, to protect the data that is collected.
on Oct 8, 2013