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> The core issue being that for the poorest of the poor, privacy is secondary to survival. Privacy is probably not on their radar. However, Aadhaar is an auth

> The core issue being that for the poorest of the poor, privacy is secondary to survival. Privacy is probably not on their radar. However, Aadhaar is an authentication system not a tracking system. So privacy is not even relevant here but please correct me if I am mistaken.

shripadk 9y ago
Yes you are right in that Aadhaar is currently an authentication system and not a tracking system. But there are definitely instances where Aadhaar data has leaked (not the biometrics, but identity information like Name, Address and Phone numbers) which rightly calls into question privacy related issues.
- captn3m0 9y ago
  The issue with biometric leaks is that it could come from anywhere, like this leak from the PDS system (ironically) in Gujarat[0]. Using biometrics for authentication is like forcing everyone to use the same password everywhere. Aadhaar isn't the only biometric database in the country. [0]: https://www.medianama.com/2018/02/223-gujarat-bleeds-biometrics-uidai-says-aadhaar-biometrics-secure/ https://www.medianama.com/2018/02/223-gujarat-bleeds-biometr...
  - shripadk 9y ago
    Damn that's scary to think that the government was so callous with biometric data. Like you mentioned in one of your other comments to someone else in the thread, it's wise to couple biometric scans with a passkey or even yubikey as Aadhaar number by itself is no longer a good first factor (especially with compromise of biometric data). I don't see how it's possible for the government to rollback collected biometric data so it makes more sense now to use multifactor authentication. Even though UIDAI's biometrics isn't directly compromised the fact that the local government was also collecting biometrics and that leaked makes it even worse. Now those same biometrics can be used to authenticate Aadhaar transactions. I see how this can be a major issue. This information was an eye opener for me. I learnt a lot from our discussions today. Thank you!
    - hesarenu 9y ago
      I have seen some company use bio metric for login. Visa applications require them as well. Any other mechanisms might still get broken.

shripadk 9y ago

Yes you are right in that Aadhaar is currently an authentication system and not a tracking system. But there are definitely instances where Aadhaar data has leaked (not the biometrics, but identity information like Name, Address and Phone numbers) which rightly calls into question privacy related issues.

captn3m0 9y ago
The issue with biometric leaks is that it could come from anywhere, like this leak from the PDS system (ironically) in Gujarat[0]. Using biometrics for authentication is like forcing everyone to use the same password everywhere. Aadhaar isn't the only biometric database in the country. [0]: https://www.medianama.com/2018/02/223-gujarat-bleeds-biometrics-uidai-says-aadhaar-biometrics-secure/ https://www.medianama.com/2018/02/223-gujarat-bleeds-biometr...
- shripadk 9y ago
  Damn that's scary to think that the government was so callous with biometric data. Like you mentioned in one of your other comments to someone else in the thread, it's wise to couple biometric scans with a passkey or even yubikey as Aadhaar number by itself is no longer a good first factor (especially with compromise of biometric data). I don't see how it's possible for the government to rollback collected biometric data so it makes more sense now to use multifactor authentication. Even though UIDAI's biometrics isn't directly compromised the fact that the local government was also collecting biometrics and that leaked makes it even worse. Now those same biometrics can be used to authenticate Aadhaar transactions. I see how this can be a major issue. This information was an eye opener for me. I learnt a lot from our discussions today. Thank you!
  - hesarenu 9y ago
    I have seen some company use bio metric for login. Visa applications require them as well. Any other mechanisms might still get broken.