-The New Indian Express A recent internal communication between UIDAI officials had pegged that around 1 to 1.5% of all enrolments made in the last seven years have “mixed Biometrics” BENGALURU: In February this year, a contract labourer in Raichur got his Aadhaar number after seven years of running from pillar to post. Mixing of his fingerprints with that of his son — for no mistake of his own — had cost...

-The Indian Express Bill Gates’s claim that it raises no privacy concerns is misleading. Crucial issues that have to do with confidentiality of data and state surveillance are at stake. According to Bill Gates, privacy is not a concern with Aadhaar (‘Aadhaar doesn’t pose any privacy issue, says Bill Gates’, IE, May 3). This widely-quoted statement would have been more convincing if Gates had shown a clear understanding of the Aadhaar project....

-The Tribune Jalandhar: Exposing yet another chink in the UIDAI’s national identity card system, a private operator working at an Aadhaar counter at the District Administration Complex here is found to have saved over 921 e-copies of Aadhaar cards in his personal laptop. Since e-Aadhaar is a valid document, it can be used for various purposes, including opening of bank accounts in Aadhaar holder’s name that can used for illegal transactions. During a...

-Hindustan Times Prioritise universal access of food grains since those dying of starvation are mainly the marginalised Forty-four-year-old mother, Amir Jahan, epitomised gallantry this Republic Day. There was not a morsel of food at home. So, while the nation celebrated, she quietly borrowed six rotis from a neighbour and distributed them equally among her three daughters, though she hadn’t eaten for four days. That night Amir died of starvation. In the first month...

-The Indian Express Biometric authentication by PDS dealers defeats the unique identity scheme’s purpose. An aborted scheme in Madhya Pradesh that relied on once-in-a-year authentication can curb exclusion errors. Aadhaar is in the news today partly because of security concerns and partly because of reports that the poor are unable to receive PDS rations because of failures in Aadhaar authentication. Here, we will focus on the latter with an eye to look...