Post J’khand breach, websites continue to leak Aadhaar data
LOOPHOLES At least four more instances of confidential info available online come to light
Days after HT reported a data breach of over a million Aadhaar numbers from a Jharkhand government website, at least four more instances of similar leaks on other government websites have come to light.
These breaches come at a time when the SC is hearing a set of petitions challenging a controversial government decision to make it mandatory to seed Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) with Aadhaar numbers for filing income tax returns.
“We have taken the Jharkhand incident very seriously,” said Ajay Bhushan Pandey, CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), noting that publishing UID numbers was illegal, “Action will be taken against those responsible under the Aadhaar act.”
The unsecure websites investigated by HT include a scholarship database in Uttar Pradesh, a public distribution system website in Chandigarh, a pensioners dashboard in Kerala and a Swach Bharat Mission website maintained by the ministry of water and sanitation, which cumulatively compromise the digital identities of thousands of citizens.
Some of these websites were taken down after HT reporters approached the relevant authorities for comment, but in other cases, the confidential information is still online. “I just do not understand why and how this is happening,” said Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader.
In Jharkhand, the UIDAI moved swiftly to shut down the website. On Monday, state officials sought to implement an additional layer of security to protect those whose identities have been compromised by the leak. “You cannot see the Aadhaar numbers anymore on the website. We are working on a One-Time Password (OTP) system for added security,” said Jharkhand social welfare secretary MS Bhatia.
Apar Gupta, a SC lawyer and a petitioner in the Aadhaar cases, said, “The leakage instances show that the technical readiness of the government is just not in place to tackle a project of this scale.” Gupta saidCentre’s notifications to seed discreet databases with Aadhaar numbers had cre- ated sensitive aggregations of citizen data at the state-level. “But these notifications have no guidance whatsoever about the data security protocols ,” Gupta said.
In the absence of central guidance, each state department has created its own unique way of storing data, often with the help of private software companies. Pandey, the UIDAI CEO, said the ministry of electronics and information technology has written to all states and ministries asking them not to display such information.
“If they do, they will have to face action,” he said.
Yet activists noted in each data breach, the UIDAI and state authorities acted after user identities had already been compromised, and provisions in the Aadhar Act mean that citizens have no legal recourse to intrusion.
“The UID numbers leaked in Jharkhand could be used for the next fraud based on identitytheft,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society. “The UIDAI should issue new ID numbers to protect those affected by the breach.” Pandey, however, said issuing new UIDs was not an option.
A day after protests by self-styled gau rakshaks against cow smuggling took a violent turn, sensitive areas in Jharkhand’s Giridih district remained under police surveillance on Monday. The incident had left over a dozen persons and seven policemen injured.
It all started after cow vigilantes intercepted three bovine laden trucks on their way to Bengal from Bihar on Saturday. This was followed by protests by gau rakshaks on Sunday, which took a violent turn, police said.
“It was a clear case of vigilantism and hooliganism. Prima facie, there is no evidence of cattle smuggling. The vigilantes tried to give it a different colour and triggered tension,” said Giridih SP AB Varrer on Monday.
On Sunday, Giridih DSP Manish Toppo and six other police personnel were injured in stone pelting at Bengabad main market by the mob protesting against cow smuggling .
After the incident, the market remained closed and vehicular movement was disrupted on Bengabad-Madhupur Road for about six hours.
Two journalists were also injured in the incident.