[offtopic] This struck me as being very similar in goals to Aadhar and projects like GSTN and NCIL (all private entities) being pushed by its promoters in Indi

[offtopic] This struck me as being very similar in goals to Aadhar and projects like GSTN and NCIL (all private entities) being pushed by its promoters in India: "mining every aspect of human life, for serving 'customers' better". This is offtopic and political, but it's perhaps also a reification of the fears that many have for when a state entity merges with such corporates from SV. US definitely has a better constitution when it comes to fundamental rights, but with the likes of NSA slowly chipping at it, backed by a lack of understanding of the tech in Congress, "legality" is not exactly a bulwark it was hoped to be. Anywho, in India's case, we've a Quasi-Governmental entity (backed by private promoters) which came into being without a legal charter. Has ramrodded ("charmed") its way through two administrations. Illegally pushed for making it mandatory for access to state services, and has now made the case (via the state) that "Indians have no right to privacy or their bodies" as an argument in the Apex court (!). Usha Ramanathan speaks in length about the play in play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJe986ADPE4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJe986ADPE4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p6cPIkn48M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p6cPIkn48M The tech (in contrast to SV) however is terrible, but it hasn't stopped them from getting the state to make it "mandatorily voluntary" for every single aspect of life. The technocrats have even gone to the extent of requiring "aadhar-fingerprint" authentication so that little kids get their free meals at schools, and the poor (and I mean Indian poor) have access to food (aka "subsidies are not wasted"). These biometric identifiers are known to barely ever work, since many are involved in manual labor. A lack of authentication means lack of subsidies dispatched - these being counted in typical corporate-speak as "savings". How Orwellian is that ? Some democracy. Perhaps other countries can learn from India's case, and succeed in realizing how dangerous it is for corporations to be running a country, or be in charge (without adequate checks) of critical infrastructure, or indeed to have a corporate sponsored legislature.