TRAI chief’s Aadhaar details leaked

French security expert revealed security loopholes in 12-digit biometric number system

Alleged personal details of India’s telecom watchdog chief R.S. Sharma were leaked on Saturday after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman threw a challenge and tweeted his 12-digit Aadhaar number, asking if it made him vulnerable to any security risk.

Among the posted details were Sharma’s personal address, date of birth, alternate phone number, a photo of his family and other details with key areas blackened out.

A French security expert, going by the nickname Elliot Alderson, caused ripples on social media after a series of tweets on his handle @fs0c131y, leaking Sharma’s “personal address, date of birth, your alternate phone number” and explaining to the TRAI chairman how risky it was to make the Aadhaar number public.

“People managed to get your personal address, date of birth and your alternate phone number. I stop here, I hope you will understand why making your Aadhaar number public is not a good idea,” Alderson wrote.

Empty challenge

Sharma, a known defender of Aadhaar, has maintained that the unique ID does not violate individuals’ privacy and the government reserved a right to create such a database of residents, since it gives subsidies on state-run welfare schemes.

Amid a debate on privacy concerns, which has reached the Supreme Court, activists and people in general fear that the 12-digit biometric number was harmful to citizens’ privacy.

“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,” tweeted Sharma, whose tenure ends on August 9.

A Twitter user had earlier asked Sharma to “walk your talk” after the TRAI chief tweeted his interview with an online portal in which he strongly defended Aadhaar and rejected apprehensions that one billion Aadhaar accounts were vulnerable.