Sabeer Bhatia Criticizes India's Aadhaar Project, Calls It An Expensive Misstep

India's Aadhaar project, initiated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has been a significant investment. According to a cost-benefit analysis by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), the total expenditure on developing and maintaining Aadhaar, along with integrating it into various government schemes, was estimated to be around ₹37,186 crore (approximately $5 billion) over a ten-year period. 

Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail, recently made a statement that the Aadhaar project could have been built for just $20 million. He criticized the project's reliance on biometric data and suggested that simpler, more efficient technological solutions, like video and voice print technology, could have been used instead.

Sabeer Bhatia made his comments about the Aadhaar project during an appearance on the podcast "Prakhar Ke Pravachan," hosted by Prakhar Gupta. This podcast episode was released on February 9, 2025.

 
Sabeer Bhatia criticized several aspects of the Aadhaar project during his podcast appearance.

Bhatia questioned the use of biometric data, asking, "Where is that being used?". He suggested that simpler technologies like video and voice prints could have been more effective. He criticized the technical expertise behind Aadhaar, stating, "Whoever did this is not a technologist They don’t know technology; they have never coded in their life — that’s why this problem exists.

Bhatia proposed using voice and video prints as unique identifiers, which he believed could be built inexpensively and would be more innovative.

He also compared Aadhaar to Venmo, suggesting that UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is not a groundbreaking invention.

Despite the substantial costs, the project was projected to yield significant benefits by reducing leakages and improving the efficiency of government programs. The analysis estimated an internal rate of return of 52.85% for the government.

Modi Govt's Extensive Digitization Drive Elimininates 5.8 Crore Fake Ration Cards Through e-KYC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi -led Indian government's extensive digitization drive has successfully eliminated 5.8 crore (58 million) fake ration cards through Aadhaar-based authentication and e-KYC verification. This initiative is part of the broader effort to reform the Public Distribution System (PDS), which serves 80.6 crore beneficiaries.

The digitization efforts have significantly reduced leakages and ensured that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries.

The One Nation One Ration Card scheme allows beneficiaries to access their rations anywhere in India using their existing cards.

The government has deployed 5.33 lakh electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices at fair price shops to facilitate Aadhaar-based verification during distribution.

The Union Food Ministry said that almost all of the 20.4 crore ration cards have been digitalized, with 98.7% of beneficiaries’ credentials being validated through biometric identification and 99.8% being connected to Aadhaar.

This digital transformation has set a global benchmark for state-sponsored food security initiatives, ensuring targeted delivery to genuine beneficiaries while eliminating ghost cards and fake entries from the system.

Aadhaar (AePS) -Related Banking Scams on the Rise, 5 Key Things You Must Do

The Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) in India has recently faced exploitation by cybercriminals, leading to depositors losing their hard-earned savings through these frauds. These scams often involve cloned or fraudulently obtained fingerprints to access victims' bank accounts.

In one instance, a gang of cybercriminals in Hyderabad fraudulently withdrew ₹14.64 lakh from 149 customers. In an another AEPS related scam in Bihar, cyber criminals exploited the victim's Aadhaar biometrics data obtained from government land records to make transactions using the AePS.

The civil society platform, Bank Bachao Desh Bachao Manch, has raised concerns about these scams and urged the Reserve Bank of India to take action.

To protect against AePS fraud, users are advised to lock their Aadhaar biometrics and regularly monitor their bank accounts for any suspicious activity.

To protect yourself and prevent misuse of Aadhaar data, consider the following steps:

1. Lock Your Biometrics: Use the m-Aadhar app or the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) website to lock your biometrics. This prevents unauthorized access to your Aadhaar data.

• Use virtual IDs: Process online transactions using a virtual ID instead of Aadhaar.

2. Contact Your Bank: If you become a victim of AePS fraud, immediately contact your bank's helpline number and report the fraudulent transaction. Provide any relevant details, such as SMS or email notifications.

3. Block Your Account: Request your bank to temporarily block your account to prevent further unauthorized transactions. Change your PIN, internet banking password, and other relevant passwords associated with your account.

4. File a Police Complaint: Report the incident to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. You have 90 days to raise a chargeback on the transaction by approaching your bank or calling their service helpline.

5. Know Transaction Limits: AePS has per-day and amount-specific limits. Currently, the maximum limit for a single transaction is ₹10,000, with a maximum of five transactions per day. Be vigilant and block your account immediately if you notice any suspicious activity.

The government has acknowledged the issue and is working on measures to enhance the security of the AePS to prevent such frauds in the future.

AePS Cyberfraud: Money from Bank A/C Stolen Using Aadhaar Biometrics Data from Victim’s Land Records Obtained from Govt Website

In a recent cyberfraud case that emerged in Bihar's Purnia district, criminals swindled a person's account without using the conventional methods of OTP or phone calls. Instead, they exploited the victim's Aadhaar biometrics data obtained from government land records to make transactions using the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS). The Bihar police have been actively investigating such cases and recently arrested 33 alleged cybercriminals operating from Nawada district.

Bihar police revealed the unique scam in a press conference, the video of which was shared by Haryana IPS officer Pankaj Jain on X (Twitter).

No OTP, No phone call, No clue, Yet money was stolen from the bank account... using registry papers.

This case is from Purnia, Bihar. #CyberFraud

However Government in 2018 🙃 :- #Aadhaar data is secure behind walls that are 13 feet high and five feet thick" pic.twitter.com/5naWeyro1p

— Amit Karn (@amitkarn99) July 11, 2024

While in this case cyber thieves used biometric details from victim’s land record or commonly called land registry, in another instance of cyberfraud related to Aadhaar, criminals (in Bihar only) allegedly cloned fingerprints to steal money from victims' bank accounts without using OTP or phone calls. The accused hacked into the government's database to access the victim's land records dated June 25, 2024. The criminals then breached the victim's Aadhaar details and obtained their fingerprint. Using the victim's thumb impression extracted from the land records, the accused created a false thumb impression. They used this false thumb impression along with the victim's Aadhaar to withdraw money from the bank account.

The Bihar Police have detained eight individuals involved in this systematic fraud scheme. To prevent similar incidents, consider these precautions:

• Mask your Aadhaar number: Download the masked Aadhaar from the UIDAI website.
• Use virtual IDs: Process online transactions using a virtual ID instead of Aadhaar.
• Link your number and email ID to Aadhaar: Ensure your contact details are linked to your Aadhaar for notifications about suspicious activity.

If you encounter AePS cyber fraud, report it on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. Stay vigilant and protect your hard-earned money.

Fino Payments Bank launches Aadhaar Auth based Digital Savings account to offer Neo-Banking Experience

Fino Payments Bank today announced that it has launched Jan BachatKhata, an Aadhaar Authentication based digital savings account that brings neo-banking experience to consumers. 

With 90% of the country’s population having Aadhaar number, the Jan BachatKhata (JBK) is available to everyone who is comfortable with AadhaarAuth based banking on fingertips. However, the primary segment would be low income household families and beneficiaries of government’s direct benefit transfer (DBT). For this set of customers Aadhaar enabled payment system (AePS)has emerged as the preferred mode of transaction as it is convenient, secure and completely digital.

JBK was launched on 15^th August 2020 to commemorate India’s Independence Day driving customers towards financial independence and freedom of choice.The core insight behind JBK was making it very natural to carry the bank, everywhere– all that is needed is the thumb or finger print for authentication!Banking on fingertips – literally!

Terming JBK as freedom from dependency on debit card, Bharat Bhanushali, Head Products & Technology, Fino Payments Bank said, “AePS as a safe and convenient platform is perfectly in sync with our objective of making banking simple and hassle-free. For the millions of people who are not comfortable using debit card and PIN, Jan BachatKhatawith Aadhaarauthprovides new age digital banking experience. With AePS transactions gaining ground, we expect increased acceptance and aim to open around a million Jan BachatKhata accounts in FY21.”

According to NPCI data, AePS transactions in Q1 FY21 crossed 1205 million worth around Rs 53000 crores. This is a growth of 104 per cent in volume and more than 60 per cent in value over Q4 FY20.

“We believe the JBK account, which allows DBT facility, will surely increase usage of banking services among the target segment. The ease and convenience would be of special help to women consumers.”added Mr. Bhanushali. The product’s communication campaign which went live on 15^th August stresses on this.

JBK is in line with Fino’scustomer centric innovative offerings. Earlier the bank has introduced Shubh and Bhavishya, subscription-based savings accounts targeted at specific customer segments.

To open a JBK account all a customer has to do is SMS JBK to 8506978686 and the bank representatives will help complete the process. Customer can open a JBK account only through Aadhaar-based eKYC mode.

JBKeliminates the need for debit card and PIN thereby enhancing customerexperience.At a nominal annual subscription fee customers can enjoy a zero balance account with no MAB requirement, no debit card, ATM and SMS charges and full rights to access BPaymobile banking app. Further, customers can transact at a Fino branch or merchant point with finger print and OTP combination, while at non-Fino points they need Aadhaar authentication. They can deposit up to Rs 25000 and avail around ten free transactions in a month, without any charges. Customers can avail of sweep account facility with prior consent if end of the day account balance exceeds Rs lakh.    

PaaS Platform Sarvatra Technologies offers Door-Step Cash Delivery in Rural India; Witnesses 353% Rise in Aadhar Withdrawals

• Offering cash withdrawal and deposit, funds transfer, etc. in small villages and towns where ATMs and regular banking infrastructure are not available


• Company’s top payment platforms — UPI, IMPS, AePS, ATM, Micro ATM, POS — effectively addressing hardships of the underbanked population

In the wake of Covid-19, Sarvatra Technologies’ versatile PaaS (Platform as a Service) solution has been instrumental in driving uninterrupted banking across the country, especially in rural India. Sarvatra is solely responsible for ensuring uninterrupted services such as cash withdrawals, cash deposits, funds transfer, etc. across various payments platforms for 600+ banks—right from the smallest co-operative banks to SCBs and DCCBs spread across 30 states and UTs across the country during the pandemic lockdown. This also includes large banks like ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, besides new generation small finance banks like Equitas, Jana, and Capital. 

Rural India has been ailing with lack of sufficient banking infrastructure, along with a scarcity in ATMs and POS machines. Prior to Sarvatra, possessing their own world-class Data Centre and payments infrastructure was difficult for small co-operative banks due to the huge capex involved in owning and managing the same. However, with its PaaS model, Sarvatra is providing plug-and-play access to the latest payments platforms (Debit Card, ATM, POS, E-Com, AePS, BBPS, IMPS, UPI, etc.) and digital payment services and apps to all types of banks in India, including to the smallest rural banks, which couldn’t have afforded them otherwise. By enabling every aspect of digitization, these small banks have become interoperable in the Indian financial ecosystem, which drives the agenda of financial inclusion further. Sarvatra has therefore played a critical role in bridging the digital gap between urban and rural areas by empowering small rural banks to offer the same services as a large bank. 

In the present context, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is causing widespread concern and economic hardships for consumers, businesses, and communities across the globe. The situation is changing quickly with widespread impacts and the Indian banking system has been no exception. With major banks considering shutting down most of their branches across the country, seamless banking in a cash-dominant country like India was a huge concern. However, banking in the rural areas where Sarvatra provides its PaaS services has remained unaffected in the midst of the lockdown. With the help of Sarvatra, the rural banking industry has been able to overcome several logistical challenges that could have impeded seamless financial services during this crisis. Thus, Sarvatra’s digital payment services have significantly helped in alleviating the hardships of the underbanked population in the country, while ensuring that the customers adhere to the necessity of social distancing during this pandemic, while transacting from the comfort of their homes. 

Equipped with Micro ATMs and mobile ATM Vans, co-operative banks that are Sarvatra’s clients are providing doorstep service—reaching out to the villages and small towns in interiors of India across all topographical regions, including highlands and mountains, West to North-East, North to South—providing India’s rural population with much-needed cash and other banking services. These doorstep services include cash withdrawal and deposit, funds transfer, etc. in small villages and towns where ATMs and regular banking infrastructure are not available or are inaccessible due to the lockdown. All these services are being provided while maintaining social distancing, sanitization of devices and hands of users for every transaction.    

Furthermore, Sarvatra continues to dedicatedly fulfil its national duty by giving millions of citizens access to government beneficiary aid worth 1.7 lakh crore, credited in their bank accounts through their AePS platform, which has witnessed an exponential rise of 353% in cash withdrawals. Moreover, Sarvatra’s wide range of offerings has also enabled other financial institutions such as BCs (business correspondents) to successfully extend money transfer and cash disbursal services. 

Vallabh Bhanshali, Chairman, Sarvatra Technologies said, “It is a vindication of our faith and desire that it is possible to provide India's rural folks and banks the same level of digital services at affordable cost as the city dwellers. We at Sarvatra feel aligned to the COVID-19 frontline warriors by providing critical services to our people in the moment of their dire need through Sarvatra’s bouquet of services and robust integrated and highly interoperable platform. Our aim is to drive top technologies to the bottom of the pyramid and help financial inclusion of the remotest person."

Mandar Agashe, Founder and Managing Director, Sarvatra Technologies said, “The most critical long-term lesson learnt by the Indian banking industry during the sudden disruption brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic is that banks across the country need to have a future-ready plan in place to address contingencies. Luckily, most of our customer banks had a host of digital payments options available, which helped them in overcoming the unusual hurdles posed by the pandemic. In the 30 days of lockdown, in addition to transactions conducted at regular ATM machines, hundreds of mobile ATM Vans and thousands of Micro ATMs of our banks have provided doorstep banking services across India to 15 lakh unique customers, including senior citizens."

About Sarvatra Technologies —

Sarvatra Technologies is leading end-to-end payments and banking technology solutions provider in India. It holds leadership position in providing technology for UPI transactions in India. It manages a major portion of the total transaction volume that is generated on UPI and IMPS nationally. It offers nationwide connectivity of small banks with large banks and enjoys 55% market share in debit card issuing platform for co-operative banks (500+ banks across 23 states and 3 union territories). Around one Crore transactions are registered monthly with a value of about Rs. 3000 Crore on ST’s platform. A pioneer in developing payment solutions on the NPCI platform, Sarvatra was the first ASP to enable sub-member banks on RuPay ATM, E-com, VAS, and IMPS. It became India’s first ASP (Application Service Provider) to get a sub-member bank live on IMPS.

Aadhaar Issued to Over 90% of Population: Dhotre

Biometric identifier Aadhaar has been issued to over 90 per cent of the population as of February-end, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Sanjay Dhotre said the UIDAI does not maintain urban/rural bifurcation of the Aadhaar holders, and hence information in this regard is not available.

"As on 29 February 2020, Aadhaar has been issued to 90.1 per cent of the population," Dhotre said.

The UIDAI also does not collect information about financial position of residents.

"In accordance with provision contained in...Aadhaar Act 2016, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) does not collect information regarding financial status of the resident. Hence, such information is not available," he said.

To another question on whether there are instances of states sharing Aadhaar data with private companies for identification of beneficiaries under various welfare schemes, Dhotre said, "No such instance has come to the notice of UIDAI."

"Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) data is fully secured/ encrypted at all times that is at rest, in transit and in storage. UIDAI has a well-designed, multi-layer robust security system in place and the same is being constantly upgraded to maintain highest level of data security and integrity," he said.

The architecture of Aadhaar ecosystem is geared to ensure security and privacy, which is an integral part of the system from the initial design to the final stage, he said.

"Comprehensive Information Security Policy and Procedures are in place which are reviewed and updated regularly, ensuring appropriate monitoring and control on movement of people, material and data in and out of UIDAI premises, particularly the data centres," he said.

Security audits are conducted on regular basis, he said, adding that security assurance of Aadhaar ecosystem has been strengthened with Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019, which includes stringent penalties and punishment for offenders. PTI MBI

Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) Crossed Milestone of 200 Mn+ Transactions in July

The umbrella body for digital transactions, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), on Monday said that Aadhaar enabled Payment System (AePS) crossed the milestone of over 200 million transactions during July this year.

AePS is a bank led model which allows basic interoperable banking transactions at point of sale (PoS or MicroATM) through the business correspondent of any bank by using Aadhaar authentication.

"AePS has become instrumental in driving the financial inclusion program in India. In July 2019, the transaction count of AePS stood at 220.18 million with transaction value Rs 9,685.35 crore, compared to transaction count of 194.33 million and a transaction value of Rs 8,867.33 crore in the month-ago period same year," NPCI said in a release.

A total of 6.65 crore Indian citizens availed banking services through AePS platform in July, it said.

"AePS crossing 200 million transactions mark is a significant achievement for NPCI, benefiting financial inclusion in India. AePS is delivering the 4As' for financial inclusion to rural part of India, authentication of customer, availability of services, accessibility through AePS channel and affordability as it's free of cost to the customers," NPCI COO Praveena Rai said.

AePS empowers a bank customer to use Aadhaar as identity to access respective Aadhaar enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions like cash withdrawal, intrabank or interbank fund transfer and balance enquiry.

The only inputs required for a customer to do an AePS transaction are the name of the customer's bank, Aadhaar number and fingerprint captured during enrollment. PTI KPM

Cabinet Allows Use of Aadhaar Data, Biometric ID for State Schemes and Subsidies

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved official changes to Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019 that incorporates a clause to allow use of Aadhaar data for state schemes and subsidies.

The amendment to the Aadhaar Act entails use of India's national biometric ID by states governments for their schemes that are funded through the 'Consolidated Fund of the State'.

"The states had demanded (this). As per Supreme Court order, Aadhaar is allowed where the funds are going for beneficiary schemes coming straight from the central government. It will enable the use...the way subsidies to the central schemes are transferred from the central fund, Aadhaar can be used for transferring state subsidies," Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters while briefing about the Cabinet decisions.

Earlier this month, Parliament had approved amendments to the Aadhaar and other laws to allow voluntary use of the 12-digit unique number as ID proof for obtaining mobile phone SIM cards and opening bank accounts. The government also inserted a new clause allowing the use of Aadhaar data by states for implementation of their schemes.

A government official, who did not wish to be named, explained that since the particular clause was included after the Bill was introduced in Parliament, the Cabinet nod is in the nature of a 'post facto' approval.

According to the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - posted by the Lok Sabha after its passage in the house - a new section 5A was inserted.

"In section 7 of the principal Act, after the words 'the Consolidated Fund of India', the words 'or the Consolidated Fund of State' shall be inserted," it had said.

Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act pertains to targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services funded from the Consolidated Fund of India. With the insertion of the Consolidated Fund of State, states can also use the Aadhaar database for better targeting of schemes.

Javadekar said there are about 128 crore Aadhar cards registered so far, and use of Aadhaar for transfer of state subsidies will enable weeding out of fake beneficiaries. PTI LUX MBI

UIDAI’s Aadhaar Software Hacked, Anyone Across the World can Enroll, Confirm Experts

The credibility, authenticity and security of India's Aadhaar has long been questioned but the stubborn, ignorant Indian government never accepted that Aadhaar system might need a big overhaul and despite plenty of evident and obvious proofs both UIDAI and central government always ran for cover-ups.

Eventually in a latest unfortunate and biggest incidence of all, personal information of over 1 billion Indians, has been compromised by a software patch that disables critical security features of the software used to enroll new Aadhaar users, revealed an investigation by HuffPost India.

The software patch that hacked Aadhaar's software is freely available for mere Rs 2,500 -- a bonanza for million of other hackers -- that allows unauthorized persons, based anywhere in the world, to generate Aadhaar numbers at will, and is still in widespread use.

Skilled hackers have disabled the security features of Aadhaar enrollment software and even circulated hack on Whatsapp, said the report.

Ironically, a 'Patch' is defined as a set of changes to a computer program or its supporting data designed to update, fix, or improve it. However in case of Aadhaar, the culprit patch allegedly hacked the whole system putting the database of over 1 billion citizens at stake and in more worst scenario about same numer of bank accounts as well is also in serious threat.

This comes within few weeks after a petition was filed against UIDAI as well as the central government of India, alleging that the fundamental right to privacy of all Indians with an Aadhaar card has been violated because of Aadhaar data breaches that occurred on numerous occasion.

The hack, which indeed has significant implications for India's national security, comes at time when when the Indian government has sought to make Aadhaar numbers the gold standard for citizen identification, and mandatory for everything from using a mobile phone to accessing a bank account.

Also Read - India Is About To Privatize 100 Terabytes of Its Citizens Data

According to HuffPost India, the patch is in possession of it and the online portal had even got it analysed by three internationally reputed experts, and two Indian analysts, to confirm that the database has indeed been hacked.

About 1,224,222,809 Aadhaar (122 Crore or 1.22 billion) has been generated till the writing of this article, as per the UIDAI website.

According to the experts, the patch lets a user bypass critical security features such as biometric authentication of enrolment operators to generate unauthorised Aadhaar numbers. It disables the enrollment software's in-built GPS security feature (used to identify the physical location of every enrollment centre), which means anyone, whether he or she is an Indian or not, can use the software to enroll in Aadhaar system.

Moreover, the patch reduces the sensitivity of the enrolment software's iris-recognition system, making it easier to spoof the software with a photograph of a registered operator, rather than requiring the operator to be present in person.

According to a 2012 news piece of Economic Times, The Aadhaar number repository and its IT infrastructure is run run by HCL Infosystems, which won the contract worth 2,200-crore from the UIDAI, in March 2012.

In July this year, the Aadhaar data of the chief of Indian telecom watchdog, TRAI, got leaked when he pose a challenge on Twitter to hack his Aadhaar details.

Last year in July, the government was warned about the vulnerability of Aadhaar when Indian apex court discussed privacy issues with regard to the Aadhaar card. At the same time, a report from the Center for Internet and Society suggests that the records of about 135 million Indians may have been leaked from four government portal due to lack of IT security practices. Additionally, a loophole was also identified that allows all records in Aadhaar to be accessed by anyone though hackers can find other routes.

To recall, UIDAI has recently announced that from 30th of September, the face recognition feature will be rolled out in phased manner, starting with telecom service providers.

India's ​First Ever Data Privacy Suit Questions Indians' Fundamental Right to Privacy Amid Aadhaar Data Breaches

On an auspicious day of Tuesday, 21 August, Delhi High Court (HC) had issued notice to world's largest biometric ID system -- Aadhaar's issuing body Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as well as the central government of India on a petition alleging that the fundamental right to privacy of all Indians with an Aadhaar card has been violated because of Aadhaar data breaches that occurred on numerous occasion. And, with this the petition accepted by Delhi HC becomes India's first ever data privacy suit.

The petition filed alleged a violation of the fundamental right to privacy as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and, as affirmed in one of earlier court case, due to Aadhaar data breaches.

A bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Anu Malhotra issued notice and sought reply of the authorities on the plea which also urged the court to direct the Centre to either allow people to opt out of the system or delete the entire existing UIDAI data in view of the security breaches.

The bench has instructed -- the UIDAI, Union of India, National Informatics Centre, and Ministry of Communications and IT -- to submit their response within the next six weeks.

The bench listed the matter for further hearing on November 19.

Also Read - India Is About To Privatize 100 Terabytes of Its Citizens Data

Although there were numerous occasion when it was evidently proved that Aadhaar biometric system is not at all safe and nor maintained securely by its statutory authority UIDAI or Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), govt. of India. But because of embedded journalism, neither mainstream media nor common citizen had so far filed a petition for consistent privacy breach hapenning through over-glorified Aadhaar cards issued to 1.05 billion people till September 2016.

What Does the Petition Asks -

The petition asks the Delhi High Court to do the following:

• Direct the authorities to ensure compliance with all relevant rules for security, including publication of a privacy policy and creation of an information security policy for the UIDAI.



• Direct the authorities to reveal the number of data breaches since the inception of the Aadhaar programme, along with details of how Basheer’s own data has been compromised.



• Appoint an independent investigative/audit committee to investigate all breaches.



• Appoint a neutral ombudsman/verification authority for addressing complaints relating to Aadhaar or other data breaches as well.



• Direct the authorities to provide the option of opting out of the Aadhaar system.



• Award exemplary damages for the failure to adhere to security practices, so as to deter the government and authorities like the UIDAI from being negligent with the rights of citizens again

.

• In the alternative, direct the Centre to delete all existing Aadhaar numbers.

The Petitioner

[caption id="attachment_125742" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Shamnad Basheer | Image - Lawctopus.com[/caption]

The petitioner who filed the suit is a Kerala-based lawyer named - Shamnad Basheer, who's a quite an influential man even before filing the petition else no common men have that much of courage to stand against stubborn and "pro-lynching" government of India the country has today. Besides being an an Indian lawyer, Shamnad Basheer was also a Ministry of Human Resource Development Chaired Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, and the Frank H. Marks Visiting Associate Professor of Intellectual Property Law at the George Washington University Law School.

Speaking to The Quint, Basheer said that the court’s decision was a very welcome one, since the judges had rejected the UIDAI’s attempt to conflate this case with the challenge before the Supreme Court, recognising that redressal of security breaches is important.

Basheer also the founder of SpicyIP blog, which is one of India’s leading blogs on intellectual property (IP) and innovation law/policy.

Content sourced from [with addition and editing] these sources - Economic Times, The Quint, WikiPedia.org/Aadhaar, Wikipedia.org/Shamnad_Basheer

[Top Featured Image - arvin febry]

UIDAI to Roll Out Face Recognition for Aadhaar from Sep. 15

As an alternative for people having difficulty authenticating with Aadhaar's biometric authentication process, issuing body Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has finally announced that from 30th of September, the face recognition feature will be rolled out in phased manner, starting with telecom service providers.

Introduced as an option to the existing modes of authentication, face authentication feature will require specific instructions to be followed by authentication agencies other than telecom service providers (TSPs), said UIDAI.

A two-factor authentication has been propsed by UIDAI, for use of face recognition by TSPs. According to this, if an individual provides Aadhaar number, the authentication will be done using either fingerprint alone - or - iris and face together. For individuals providing Virtual ID, the authentication can be on basis of fingerprint or iris.

The authority had earlier planned to roll-out face recognition feature from July 1, but it was later delayed to August 1 due technicalities and other details of how the system will work in conjunction with existing options of authentication like fingerprint, iris scan or OTP.

According to UIDAI, various AUAs (Authentication User Agencies) were not in a position to implement face authentication with effect from August 1, 2018 as few of device providers were not ready for this and to avoid any inconvenience to the public it has been decided to roll out the face authentication in a phased manner.

Additionally, the UIDAI also said that 'live face photo' capture and its verification with the photo obtained in eKYC will be essential in those cases where Aadhaar is used for issuance of mobile SIM cards. With this, the authority aims to curb the possibility of fingerprint spoofing or cloning, and seeks to tighten the audit process and security around issuance and activation of mobile SIMs. Inn June this year, a Hyderabad-based mobile SIM card distributor had forged Aadhaar details for activating thousands of SIM cards.

Live Face Photo is a live feed of the person whose 12-digit unique Aadhaar number is submitted.

Related - India's IIS and NIT Develops AI To Identify Protesters With Their Faces Partly Covered With Scarves or Hat

"This instruction (for matching live face photo with eKYC photo) will apply only where Aadhaar is used for issuance of SIMs. As per Telecom Department's instructions, if SIM is issued through other means without Aadhaar, then these instructions will not apply," UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI.

UIDAI has also proposed a monetary disincentive, a financial disadvantage, for telcos found slipping on the prescribed targets from the middle of next month.

UIDAI had already announced that it will provide Software Development Kits (SDKs)/Registered Device (RD) services in various operating systems, required to implement face recognition system authentication.

Since face photo is already available in UIDAI database there is no need to capture any new reference data at UIDAI Central Identifies Data Repository (CIDR) for verification.

Source - The Hindu

[Top Image - Trulioo Blog via - IriTech.com]

TRAI Chief 'Data Leak Challenge' Fall Flat As His Aadhaar Data Got Leaked

You won't be surprised if you get to know that the chief of Indian telecom watchdog TRAI - R.S. Sharma, who is one of the biggest supporter of Aadhaar, has not linked his any of the bank accounts with the Aadhaar Number - 7621-7768-2740 and mobile number of his secretary is 9958587977 (open to pesky telemarketers !), and his WhatsApp profile picture is this.

Now if by any chance you are wandering how these details have gone public then the reason is Mr.Sharma himself, who earlier today threw a challenge on twitter, asking twitterati if they can harm his Aadhaar data. Ironically, within few hours people spilled the beans and made his personal data public over Twitter.

My Aadhaar number is 7621 7768 2740
Now I give this challenge to you: Show me one concrete example where you can do any harm to me!

— RS Sharma (@rssharma3) July 28, 2018

Popular french security expert, who goes by the nickname Elliot Alderson and had earlier too revealed the security loopholes in Aadhaar system, caused ripples on the social media when in a series of tweets he leaked "personal address, DoB, alternate phone number" and explaining to Mr Sharma, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman, how risky it was to make the Aadhaar number public.

One of the screenshots in Elliot's tweet even carried Mr.Sharma's PAN details. But that was hidden/blackened.

People managed to get your personal address, dob and your alternate phone number.

I stop here, I hope you will understand why make your #Aadhaar number public is not a good idea pic.twitter.com/IVrReb4xIM

— Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) July 28, 2018

Earlier, the security researcher also busted the security flaws in 'Kimbho', a messaging app launched by Yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali, in May this year.

In March, Eliiot alleged and somewhat busted the fact that the official mobile app of Indian PM Narendra Modi is sending personal information of its users to a third party website.

How To Download Lost Aadhaar by Name and DOB

The Indian government has made it almost mandatory that all citizens of India must and should have an Aadhaar card. The Aadhaar card serves many purposes and has many benefits.  It is a huge help while applying for a passport, opening of a new bank account, getting the pension on time, disbursement of provident fund, etc. It has cut down tedious documentation and paperwork and is an accepted document as proof of identity and address.

Have you lost your Aadhar Card?  Fear not, it is now easy to get back the details.  Since the Aadhar card has become an integral part of our lives and everything is linked to it, the Aadhar card has become a very important document and it has to be kept safe and one should not misplace it.

But there are chances that you have misplaced it and ended up losing your card.  In the event that such a thing happens, there are ways by which you can easily recover your card back.  So, here are the steps you need to follow if you have lost your Aadhar card or your enrolment slip.

-Log on to www.uidai.gov.in and download your duplicate copy and the service is provided under the Aadhaar Online Service Header.  Click on Retrieve Lost UID/EID tab and it will land you to another page. 

Aadhar card download by name and date of birth can also be done to retrieve your lost card.

 

-First visit this link:  https://resident.uidai.gov.in/find-uid-eid.

-Aadhar Number (UID) and Enrolment Number (EID) are the two options that are available on the left side.

-Select Aadhar Number (UID) and fill all the personal details.

-Now enter the security code and submit.

-You will receive an OTP number on your registered mobile, mention it and verify OTP.

-A message will come on your mobile with the Aadhar number.  Now you have to download the e-aadhar by using the details given below:

Steps to download the Aadhar card:

-Go to the official website of Aadhar here https://eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/

-Select “Enrolment No”

-Enter your Full Name

-Enter your Email ID

-Submit your registered Mobile Number

-One Time Password will be sent to your registered Mobile Number

-Enter that OTP in the required box

-Click on Verify OTP

-Go ahead and download your E-aadhar card now

-To open your Aadhar card, use the first four words of your name in capital letters and your birth years as Aadhar card password.

You might often face issues when trying to download a duplicate copy due to the missing or lost enrolment slip.  Getting a soft copy of Aadhar card is quite easy nowadays.  If you have received your confirmation message that your Aadhar card is processed, then you need not wait anymore.  Simply, go to the given link, enter the basic details, get the OTP and then download your e- Aadhar card.  Do not forget to take a print out of the downloaded card for future reference.

According to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who recently said that efforts are being made to make Aadhaar the only card required to identify a person, replacing the Voter ID and the PAN card.  The unique identification number of Aadhaar may become the single identity card in future for the citizens of India.

ICICI Bank To Invest ₹99 Lakhs In Mumbai-based Biometric Payment Startup Tapits

India's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank announced that it is acquiring a minority stake in Tapits Technologies, a Mumbai-based early stage startup that helps merchants accept digital payments through Aadhaar biometrics, reports Business Standard.

ICICI is investing Rs 99 lakh in Tapits Technologies to acquire 9.9% stake in the startup, which had revenues of less than Rs 1 lakh for financial year 2016-17.

The transaction is expected to complete by February 2018.

"Tapits enables merchants to accept digital payments from customers through biometric authentication using Aadhaar enabled payment system," the bank said in a regulatory filing, adding objective of the investment is to promote Aadhaar-based payments.

Founded in 2016 by Pratyush Halen, Tapits is a startup based at Bombay Stock Exchange working with top banks to enable Merchants to accept digital payments using Aadhaar Pay, UPI and do bill payments.

The startup has its flagship point of sale device called 'FingPay', which can make payments "card-less, cashless and mobile-less".

Fingpay enables Merchants to collect digital payments from customers using Aadhaar Pay and UPI. It also enables them to do customer's bill payments like recharges, electricity, Insurance premium's etc. The product is fit for places where payment is happening and also for agents who can roam around and collect payments.

Fingpay has an android application and web portal for Merchants where they can connect a biometric reader to mobile or PC and start accepting payments. The product is now live with over 150 merchants.

This investment has now finally ends the long time speculation on a positive note that ICICI will invest in fintech startups in India as part of its strategic move to help it serve its customers better.

Last month, a Bengaluru-based payment startup iKaaz was acquired by Singapore-based Uber rival Grab.

At the same time, IndusInd Bank and Dynamics Inc., at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show announced plans to introduce the first battery-powered, interactive payment cards to the Indian market in 2018.

ICICI Bank To Invest ₹99 Lakhs In Mumbai-based Biometric Payment Startup Tapits

India's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank announced that it is acquiring a minority stake in Tapits Technologies, a Mumbai-based early stage startup that helps merchants accept digital payments through Aadhaar biometrics, reports Business Standard.

ICICI is investing Rs 99 lakh in Tapits Technologies to acquire 9.9% stake in the startup, which had revenues of less than Rs 1 lakh for financial year 2016-17.

The transaction is expected to complete by February 2018.

"Tapits enables merchants to accept digital payments from customers through biometric authentication using Aadhaar enabled payment system," the bank said in a regulatory filing, adding objective of the investment is to promote Aadhaar-based payments.

Founded in 2016 by Pratyush Halen, Tapits is a startup based at Bombay Stock Exchange working with top banks to enable Merchants to accept digital payments using Aadhaar Pay, UPI and do bill payments.

The startup has its flagship point of sale device called 'FingPay', which can make payments "card-less, cashless and mobile-less".

Fingpay enables Merchants to collect digital payments from customers using Aadhaar Pay and UPI. It also enables them to do customer's bill payments like recharges, electricity, Insurance premium's etc. The product is fit for places where payment is happening and also for agents who can roam around and collect payments.

Fingpay has an android application and web portal for Merchants where they can connect a biometric reader to mobile or PC and start accepting payments. The product is now live with over 150 merchants.

This investment has now finally ends the long time speculation on a positive note that ICICI will invest in fintech startups in India as part of its strategic move to help it serve its customers better.

Last month, a Bengaluru-based payment startup iKaaz was acquired by Singapore-based Uber rival Grab.

At the same time, IndusInd Bank and Dynamics Inc., at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show announced plans to introduce the first battery-powered, interactive payment cards to the Indian market in 2018.

Aadhaar Official's Sim Card Deactivated For Not Linking It To Aadhaar

Every cellphone owner in India is getting tons of messages from telecom operators to link with their Aadhaar number.

Ironically and what could be called as an insanely awkward incidence -- a man named HL Prabhakar working in Aadhaar (UIDAI) accused an unnamed telecom operator for deactivating his SIM card for not linking it with Aadhar -- and irony dies its own death.

Interestingly Prabhakar is the project director for Aadhaar (UID) in Karnataka and works at the Centre for e-Governance.

Prabhakar alleged that five days ago, the telecom operator deactivated his SIM saying he had not linked the SIM card to his Aadhaar. He, however, told the service provider that he had linked his Aadhaar through OTP authentication. But the telecom operator insisted that he give his biometric fingerprints to restore the connection, reported Bangalore Mirror.

“On Monday morning, my phone stopped working and I had no clue what could have gone wrong. I called up the customer care and, initially, they said it was a technical glitch. After repeated calls, I was asked to go to a customer care outlet and give my fingerprints for Aadhaar linking. I told them that my Aadhaar verification process is done and I know the rules,” Prabhakar said.

“This is absolutely ridiculous. Why should I prove my identity to them all over again? I had given my documents when I got the connection and I have also done the Aadhaar authentication. The irony is that I head the division that gives identity cards to people and the cell phone service provider is trying to fool me,” he added.

Just last month, Airtel subscribers who had re-verified mobile numbers using Aadhaar details alleged that the company had opened bank accounts in Airtel Payments Bank without their consent.

After facing backlash from UIDAI Airtel Payments Bank CEO Shashi Arora resigned from the company.

It is to be noted that Telecom companies, along with support from central government, are duping customers into believing that phone numbers have to be linked with your Aadhaar number citing a circular issued on March 23, 2017 by the Department of Telecom (DoT), despite of the very fact that the Supreme Court has yet to pass an order on whether Aadhaar infringes upon the right to privacy.

Earlier in August 2017, Wikileaks also revealed that entire database of Aadhaar is in hands of America's CIA agency's spies.

Entire Database of India's Aadhaar Is In Hands of America's CIA Spies, Reveals Wikileaks

Whistle-blower site WikiLeaks published reports on Thursday that claimed to "expose" that US-based Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is using tools devised by US-based technology provider Cross Match Technologies for cyber spying that may have comprised entire database of India's Aadhaar. The claim was dismissed by official sources in India, which IndianWeb2 believes is run and managed by corrupt officials already.

WikiLeaks' documents say that the US spy agency used ExpressLane, a tool devised by an agency called Cross Match Technologies -- for the practice of spying.

Linking to an article on Cross Match’s Indian operations with its partner Smart Identity Devices Pvt Ltd -- a New Delhi based company which has enrolled 1.2 million Indian citizens on the Aadhaar database, WikiLeaks tweeted on Friday:

Have CIA spies already stolen #India's national ID card database? #aadhaar #biometric https://t.co/zqJmkaoiw8 #modi

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 25, 2017

Wikileaks further states that -- under Aadhaar system Indian government is using "Cross Match" bio-metric system for storing data of its citizens and CIA had been using the same technology to access the unique identification data of Indian citizens that have enrolled for Aadhaar. And, the company (Cross Match) received certification for India's massive UID national identity card biometric system now called as Aadhaar.

Is your government using the "Cross Match" biometric system? For years CIA has used it to suck out all the records https://t.co/8FefOS2Ljl pic.twitter.com/9tgon09TTu

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 24, 2017

"The OTS (Office of Technical Services), a branch within the CIA, has a biometric collection system that is provided to liaison services around the world — with the expectation for sharing of the biometric takes collected on the systems. But this ‘voluntary sharing’ obviously does not work or is considered insufficient by the CIA, because ExpressLane is a covert information collection tool that is used by the CIA to secretly exfiltrate data collections from such systems provided to liaison services," said WikiLeaks on its website.

According to a recent study by Research and Markets, India’s biometrics market is forecast to hit about $2 billion by 2018. All this in hands of some foreign intelligence agency, is a thing that is horrific for over 1 billion citizen of India who have enrolled themselves to Aadhhar.

The GreatGameIndia website, which the Wikileaks has pointed out at, states, "It is remarkable that Aadhaar and Al-Qaeda mean the same thing, which is “foundation” -- Manu Joseph pointed out this tweetable fact in his piece on Live Mint. What we might add is that it is also remarkable that both Aadhaar and Al Qaeda are illegitimate sons of the same mother"

Notably, the Supreme Court of India on Thursday ruled that the right to privacy was a fundamental right of every citizen. The apex court is now likely to hear the matter on whether the privacy argument linked to Aadhaar is justifiable.

Top Image - Shutterstock

10 Startup News That Made Headline This Week [24 - 29 July]

Missed the happening of startup world? Here is the recap for you. Mentioned below are the 10 news which made headlines this week:

Snapdeal Board Gives Green Signal For FreeCharge Sale To Axis Bank

This week finally saw the sale of FreeCharge, Snapdeal’s digital payments platform to country’s third-largest private sector lender, Axis Bank. The sale marks the end of a two-year long process where numerous buyers came forward to pitch their bid for FreeCharge. According to a media report, the deal could end up valuing FreeCharge somewhere between Rs 385 crore-Rs 390 crores, which would be a steep plunge from the Rs 2,400 crore figure that Jasper Infotech paid in the year 2015 to acquire the company. The report further revealed that an official announcement on the sale could be made anytime now.

If sources to be believed, the Snapdeal board has also given a go ahead to Flipkart’s revised offer for Snapdeal and an official announcement on the same can also be made within the upcoming week.

FIR Filed Against Startup Founder For Misusing Aadhaar

The organisation administering Aadhaar, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has recently filed an official police complaint against the Abhinav Srivastava, co-founder of a mobile payment startup, Qarth Technologies accusing him of misusing Aadhaar data from its website. According to the FIR, Srivastava is accused of giving out e-KYC and misusing data from the Aadhaar’s official website via a mobile application that he had created.

According to a report in the Hindu, the complaint filed with the Bengaluru Police was registered by Ashok Lenin the Deputy Director at the UIDAI Regional Office in Bengaluru. According to the FIR, Srivastava has been booked under Section 29(2) of the Aadhaar act which restricts sharing Aadhaar data with others. In addition to that, he has also been booked under Sections 65 and 66 of the IT act and Sections 468 and 471 for forgery with Section 120(B) for conspiracy.

Google Launches AI Studios For Startups

The Google’s Launchpad has announced a new hands-on studio program that would help AI startups with resources that would help them kickstart their company’s journey to success and scale to new heights. Launchpad with its AI studio aims to solve all the problems for AI Startups and provide them with a level field with other startups to progress and achieve momentum success. It plans to achieve this by making them available with specialized data sets, prototyping assistance and simulation tools. Another major attraction of the Launchpad Studio is that the selected AI startups will get unlimited access to Google’s top notch talent, including IP experts, product specialists and engineers.

Nemo Care Ends Israel’s Search For Women-Led Tech Startups In India

Hyderabad-based Nemo Care, the winner of the fifth edition of the Start TLV Competition along with the five women-led startups will represent India at Start Tel Aviv workshop in Israel this year.
At the Start TLV ‘boost camp’, Pratyusha Pareddy, co-founder, Nemo Care will join local Israeli entrepreneurs and participate in lectures, workshops, and meetings with leading Israeli and international investors and professionals.

Start TLV is a global annual event organised by Israeli MFA and Tel Aviv Municipality. The competition is the platform to support women entrepreneurs in the country to accelerate their startup growth. In order to search India’s upcoming women-led tech startups with a social impact, the Embassy of Israel had joined hands with the Indian government’s Startup India programme, TiE-NCR, YES Bank, YES Global Institute and CNBC-TV18.

Facebook Acquires US Based Startup Source3

Social networking giant Facebook has recently acquired US-based startup Source3 to help the tech giant in its battle against pirated content on its social networking platform. Source3 has built successful licensing platforms powering digital music, user-generated videos and 3D printing. It offers scalable, turnkey solutions for today’s global licensing challenges.

The New York-headquartered startup claims to be the world’s first platform for end-to-end management of intellectual property in user-generated content (UGC). It provides IP recognition, licensing and rights administration services to connect creators, marketplaces and brands and enable monetization of user content across physical and digital products.

Paytm Mall Limits Delivery To 17k Pin Codes; Delists 50% Logistic Partners

Paytm Mall, owned by Paytm Ecommerce Pvt Ltd has delisted 50% logistics partners, stopping deliveries to more than 9,000 pin codes out of 26,000 were guaranteed assistance in returns and replacements was not assured. Based on this audit, the company has delisted 6 out of 14 logistic partners and 30 courier aggregation centres, as they were unable to offer a consistently superior consumer experience. The company aims to establish a reliable logistics ecosystem with greater transparency in delivery and replacement timelines while ensuring that exact products are delivered in a good condition.

In another development, Indian e-wallet giant Paytm has recently revealed that it has joined hands with online lottery company AGTech Media, which has the backing of Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba, to make mobile games in the Indian subcontinent.
According to information available, both the companies have decided to jointly put in about $16 million capital in the new company.

Not IITs, Zoho Is Massively Hiring High School Graduates

Zoho, a Chennai-based software firm founded the Zoho University (ZU) initiative. The University, which took birth 12 years ago in 2005, trains turns software programmers out of high-school graduates and then hires them for roles at salaries on par with engineering graduates. The initiative’s more than a decade old life is the testimonial of its success and popularity among the Indian youth.

In today’s times, when India is finally waking up to the fact of shortage of quality engineering talent in the country, accompanied by the proliferation of automation and advanced technologies, Zoho’s University model is gaining a lot of traction.

Lendingkart Group Appoints Two New Vice Presidents

Lendingkart Group has made two significant appointments to strengthen its leadership team. Utsav Mehrotra, formerly an investment banker with Axis Capital, has joined as Vice President of Capital Markets taking charge of fundraising and marketplace initiatives. Abhishek Arora, who was earlier heading the seller management & growth vertical at e-commerce unicorn in Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region – Souq.com, has come on board as Vice President of Revenue & Operations.

MTV To Air India’s First Reality Show For College Dropouts

Finally, here is the announcement of the reality show by veterans Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman which will help the truants of the country to achieve their startup dreams. The show called Droom.in presents MTV Dropout Pvt. Ltd. will premiere on July 29 at 7 pm on MTV and next day onwards on VOOT. The show has been created by Monozygotic and co-developed by MTV and Monozygotic. The show will help in identifying college ‘dropouts’ with real entrepreneurial potential and transform their lives forever by helping them setup their own startup journey.

The shortlisted talents will be groomed and mentored by some of the biggest names in the industry through a trials-by-fire method where the contestants will have to solve their way out of real-world business problems in a short span of time and prove their hunger for their entrepreneurial dream.

Singapore’s Prestellar Ventures Launches $100 Mn VC Fund

Prestellar Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm, launched a $100 million venture capital fund backed by four general partners (‘GPs’) – CG Corp Global (Nepal’s sole Forbes-listed billion-dollar enterprise), Satin Creditcare (the third largest Microfinance Institution in India), Frontline Strategy (a private-equity firm in Mauritius) and N.E. Group (a family conglomerate in Nepal).

The fund seeks to partner with passionate entrepreneurs and disruptive startups across South Asia and ASEAN in the Hospitality, Consumer, Financial Services, Rural Product and Services sectors, typically in ‘Pre-Series A’ deals with a cheque size of approximately $2-3 million. The firm is seeking to raise and deploy country specific sub-funds across the South Asia region-more specifically India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Other Important News

Apart from these startups news, there were other important headlines which grabbed the eyeballs of the readers. Paytm has appointed Kiran Vasireddy as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for its payments business. Going forward, Kiran will be overseeing all product and business functions for the payments division in line with its growth plan for bringing 500 million Indians into the mainstream economy.

On the other hand, Capillary Technologies, the Omni channel customer engagement and commerce platform, has appointed Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as the new COO of the company.

Jugnoo, hyperlocal startup, is all set to create its footprints in the South Korean market. The B2B offering of the company, Tookan has been selected as one of the top three finalists to participate in K-Startup Grand Challenge – a 4 month accelerator programme, organised by the Korean government.  Jugnoo is selected from the 70 Indian Startups that auditioned for the challenge becoming 1 of the top 3 finalists making it a big achievement for the team.

Lastly,  Awfis Space Solutions has launched its first community workplace in Pune at Baner.

Startup Founder Booked For Aadhaar Misuse

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the organisation administering Aadhaar, has recently filed an official police complaint against the co-founder of a mobile payment startup accusing him of misusing Aadhaar data from its website.

According to a report in the Hindu, the complaint filed with the Bengaluru Police was registered by Ashok Lenin the Deputy Director at the UIDAI Regional Office in Bengaluru against Abhinav Srivastava of Qarth Technologies.

Founded in 2012 by Prerit Srivastava and Abhinav Srivastava, the Chennai-based company has gained popularity for creating the android app X-Pay, which is a convenient way of making secure payments 24x7. The app can be used across 26 banks hassle free with add on features to track and remind payments.

The Hindu report also revealed that they have an access to a copy of the FIR and it clearly accuses Srivastava of giving out e-KYC and misusing data from the Aadhaar's official website via a mobile application that he had created. The FIR goes to the lengths of accusing Srivastava of entering into a “conspiracy with others, misused Aadhaar data and leaked the information.”

According to the FIR, Srivastava has been booked under Section 29(2) of the Aadhaar act which restricts sharing Aadhaar data with others. In addition to that, he has also been booked under Sections 65 and 66 of the IT act and Sections 468 and 471 for forgery with Section 120(B) for conspiracy.

The newspaper report also mentioned that UIDAI is still not clear if Srivastava had illegally hacked into its database or used the authentication from a verified agency.

While UIDAI is clear with its stance and has taken a official step, Srivastava has unequivocally denied UIDAI's charges and claims. According to him, Qarth was a simple multi-bank mobile payment firm which stopped its operations in March last year. “We have never used Aadhaar for KYC. The app is no longer available," he said to the Hindu.

The report also claimed that a person close to Qarth has informed them that the company is on the verge of shutting down and has no employees on its rolls as of today.

According to latest development, the Bengaluru Police has transferred the case to the cybercrime police.

[Image: The Quint]