Ration cards, PDS and even applying for new SIM cards has now been made easier to get with the help of Aadhaar, but that’s not the end of the possibilities for the current regime.
Now they want to use mobile phones as the one-stop destination for all Aadhaar related activities. For which the government wanted to discuss with mobile brands like Micromax, Google and even Apple about the possibility of having phones loaded with users’ 12-digit unique identifier number linked to their Aadhaar account.
It is likely that the authorities might be left to rue the implications of the Aadhaar-centric decision in the future. And if at all they make it mandatory to be linked to the Aadhaar’s database, chances are Apple and Google will walk away from the country.
Your Mobile Phone Aadhaar-ified
Mobile usage in the country is growing as fast as anything, with more people expected to join the bandwagon in the coming years. This foresight has helped the government realise the need to use mobile phones as the vehicle of taking Aadhaar to greater heights.
Aadhaar is central to everything that the Indian government envisages to do as part of its Digital India mission.
The UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India)-run project is the key to the identity of billions of Indians but it needs to be fine tuned to make an impact across corners.
Aadhaar needs to become more ubiquitously accessible and relevant for urban and rural population. Problems of connectivity and accessing the Aadhaar server for transactions remain and need to be addressed.World Bank Report 2016 on Aadhaar
The government asked the firms to add Aadhaar-enabled chips to their devices so they can be synced to the government’s database, according to this Bloomberg report.
93 percent adults in the country are now registered with their biometric IDs via Aadhaar.Ravi Shankar Prasad, former Communications Minister
This way, Aadhaar as a tool can reach millions of registered citizens merely through their phones and the government need not invest in widening its horizon.
Split Priorities
But here’s the thing. Aadhaar isn’t the only grand project that needs 100 percent commitment from the Narendra Modi-led govt.
They also have the Make in India mission which can only turn into a success if majority of the mobile brands selling in India right now (with products sourced from China) can start producing their devices in the next three to five years time locally.
By asking the likes of Apple and Google to comply with the Aadhaar-affixed regulation, the government risks losing the plot and their chances of getting Apple to locally manufacture in the foreseeable future.
They can’t possibly think that they’ll get the brands to agree to their terms and still get them to set up shop here.
On the other hand, Apple and Google clearly know the importance of Indian market as a mobile hub, so refusing to go by the stance taken by the government could also possibly affect their way of running shop in India.
Losing Business
It’s a known fact that Apple and Google monitor our internet activity which earns them revenue by selling ads on their platform.
By accepting to open up their devices to install biometric chips linked to Aadhaar, they lose the ability to mine user’s data.
Tracking user information is not legally permitted in the country, but that’s always how Facebook rakes in big moolah every year. But with Aadhaar, their major money-making source will go away, and they would never want that.
Aadhaar Not Foolproof
The other big subject worth discussing is the security level of the Aadhaar’s centralised database.
Many cyber experts aren’t sure if the entire ecosystem, even with its so-called encryption claims, is mishap-free, and as we all know, privacy is something that Apple or Google will never compromise on.
A law on privacy protection is imperative and would enable the future of Aadhaar by making it more trustworthy and secure.World Bank Report 2016 on Aadhaar
Earlier this year, the US government wanted Apple to help them break into the iPhone 5 of the accused in the San Bernardino terror attack to which the company emphatically refused.
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This access would have allowed the government to gather evidence that may exist on iPhones – like messages, photos, location data, and more.
Google has strongly chimed in the chorus with Apple over the privacy matter as well, which is why it is hard to see Apple or Google willing to change their stance on privacy and security with Aadhaar in mind.
These attempts to expand the reach of Aadhaar could seriously make-or-break the government’s dream to get the best of the mobile industry to locally produce in India, and they’ll have no one but to blame themselves for this.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)