DNA Edit: Poor Judgement – TRAI chairman must learn to use Twitter responsibly

The recent tweets by TRAI chairman RS Sharma will leave no one happy. By putting up his Aadhaar number in the public domain and challenging people to find out his personal details, the TRAI chairman was encouraging hacking. The result was that not only did he face embarrassment, but he also threw up unnecessary questions about the safety of Aadhaar. In the past, the government has gone out of its way to assure the public of Aadhaar’s safety and such an incident will bring up those old worries again. To be fair to Sharma, he was trying to prove that the system worked, but he went too far. He needs to be made conscious of his actions. Sharma is not just anyone, he is the TRAI chairman and sensitive information could be used and exploited by people with vested interests. Also, as a senior official, discretion is his best bet. 

A senior bureaucrat like him should not be engaging with the public in this manner. Instead, if he wants to continue on Twitter, he would be better advised to use his time to pass on much needed information to the public and keep his personal comments to himself. The government so far has handled Twitter very responsibly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have been the standouts in this regard, using Twitter to pass on vital information, helping those in need, and interacting with the public to understand their opinions. This is a message that all government officials must emulate. It is time perhaps for the government to consider putting forward a Twitter code, which all bureaucrats must follow to ensure that such incidents are not repeated. Otherwise, such an indiscretion on Twitter may become a serious security issue next time.