Aadhaar data leak can influence election outcome, says top court

new delhi — A leak of Aadhaar data can influence election results, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.

The observation came after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told the apex court that the collection of biometric and demographic information under Aadhaar was not an atomic bomb as it sought to dismiss the hyper phobia the unique identity card’s critics have created around it.

Justice Chandrachud said: “The apprehension of the sharing of data is not symptomatic but real. The data available can be used to influence elections. We have seen this in past experience. Whether democracy can survive where data is used to influence the electoral outcome...” Having adverted to the

The apprehension of the sharing of data is not symptomatic but real Justice Chandrachud

apprehensions, Justice Chandrachud asked senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, who was appearing for the UIDAI: “You must think of what are the nature of safeguards that can be introduced.”

“We can’t have a blinkered view of reality” because of your limitations, Justice Chandrachud said, since “we are going to lay down a law that will affect future generations.”

“How the requesting entities will use the data is a matter of concern,” said Justice Chandrachud pointing out to data being used for election, an apparent reference to the leak of data of a social media site during the US Presidential election.

Earlier, Dwivedi told the fivejudge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra: “Collection of information under Aadhaar is not an atomic bomb. Please remove the fear and phobia created by the petitioners (opposing it). There is no question of leaking or sharing of information.” —