The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Skoch Group Chairman Sameer Kochchar for allegedly spreading rumours about Aadhaar’s flaws on the internet.
A report in The Indian Express says that a case has been registered with the Cyber Cell of the crime branch against Kochchar for writing the “misleading” article that was critical of Aadhaar and asked various questions about it. It adds that Kochchar’s article was in violation of the ‘Aadhaar Act’ and that the police received a complaint from someone at the UIDAI.
The article by Kochchar, freely available on the internet, makes allegations against the security features of the Aadhaar. Citing a video circulating on the internet, Kochchar wrote a piece which said that the encryption features for the Aadhaar number were sub-standard and that “It takes an easy hack to change this information and anybody can become you and transact on your behalf.”
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The IE report says that JCP (Crime) Ravindra Yadav told the newspaper that a case had been registered against Kochchar on a complaint by Yashwant Kumar of UIDAI. The report adds that Kochchar responded via e-mail on the issue, saying that he came to know about the FIR courtesy news reports. He reportedly does not have a copy of the FIR either.
Kochchar reportedly remained defiant of the flaws in the biometric system, saying: “I have no evidence of being targeted. I am sure they (UIDAI) must be working hard to secure the loopholes pointed out.”
The Aadhar, a unique identification system launched by the Congress government and also championed by the BJP-led NDA government has come under scrutiny over concerns surrounding data-theft and the security of personal information provided.
