Telcos won’t delete data, experts differ

The UIDAI and DoT in a joint statement said that the apex court had not asked them to delete all the eKYC data of telecom customers after six months.

The statement read, “The restriction of not keeping authentication log beyond six months is on the UIDAI and not on the telecom companies. Therefore, there is no need for telecom companies or AUAs/KUAs to delete authentication logs at their end.”

“They are in fact required to keep authentication logs at their end as per Aadhaar regulations to resolves any consumer grievances,” the statement said. Experts are of the opinion that this has become a convention for the UIDAI to misinterpret the Supreme Court’s judgments favouring corporate companies instead of the privacy of citizens.

Independent security researcher, Srinivas Kodali, said, “Everybody can interpret and misinterpret the judgment in ways that suit them, which UIDAI is doing to save its ecosystem. The UIDAI is trying to continue its legacy of violating Supreme Court orders. It will be followed by contempt of court cases which have happened since 2012.”

Experts alleged that the whole Aadhaar-Mobile linking done last year was a conspiracy based on a fictional Supreme Court order in the Lokniti case.

A similar thing was being done now about the authentication logs with telecom companies.

Internet researcher, Anivar Aravind said, “The same forces which conspired linking of SIM cards with Aadhaar based on non-existent judgments are misrepresenting the court order now. UIDAI has no business in the telecom affair and what they needed to do now was to cancel AUA & KuA licences of telecom companies immediately after the judgment, since Section 57 makes Aadhaar authentication by private parties unconstitutional.”