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Is Armed forces veterans' biometric data unsafe?

Retired armed forces officials are required to link their Aadhaar and PAN details with smart cards issued to avail medical facilities under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme.

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Personal biometric data of military veterans could be compromised in the hands of private vendors who are no longer working with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) raising questions on its security amid a raging debate about such information being leaked and misused.

Retired armed forces officials are required to link their Aadhaar and PAN details with smart cards issued to avail medical facilities under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme.

Responding to a query by former Navy officer Commodore (retd) Lokesh Batra, whether private vendors making smart cards have walked away with details, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare said it is unsure about the fate of the data.

It took more than three months for the department to reply, despite repeated reminders from Batra and MoD.

The ECHS said that personal data, as per the contract stipulation, was handed over on termination but added, "ECHS cannot comment whether a copy of the same has been retained by the company or not."

It is this ambiguity that Batra says is shocking and chilling. "We are talking about the data of nearly 50 lakh people. Has it been compromised and left with a private company?"

With private vendors, who had prepared the existing smart cards not involved in preparing the new cards, doubts are being raised about the safety of the data.

"The big question is what will happen to personal and Bio-metric data of the existing smart cards holders, believed to be held with a 'Private Vendor', who is no more listed with the Government?," asked Batra.

The issue of an Aadhaar or personal identification number for every citizen – that requires details such as fingerprints and retinal scan – has triggered a debate on privacy and safety of personal data.

While the government is pushing for linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and private services such as mobile phones, the Supreme Court has put the move on an indefinite hold till it decides on its legality.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the body responsible for Aadhaar has told the Supreme Court that the data is in safe hands with no scope for any leaks.

Batra, in his first query dated December 1, 2017, inquired about the penalty clauses included in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the vendor to ensure safety of personal and bio-metric data of beneficiaries in case of breach.

Batra says he intends forwarding the "complete trail of communication" with the Department of Ex-Serviceman Welfare to the Supreme Court to bring to its notice how the bi-metric and personal data of nearly 50 lakh veterans is assumed to be lost to a private vendor.

MoD dept says it’s not sure 

  • Have private vendors walked away with details? an MoD dept says it is unsure about the fate of the data 
  • Data could be compromised in the hands of private vendors no longer working with MoD
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