The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by Rajya Sabha on June 24th, 2019. It replaces an ordinance promulgated on March 2, 2019, which aimed to circumvent Supreme Court judgement of September 2018, which struck down Section 57 of the Aadhar Act that permitted private entities like telecom companies and banks to use Aadhaar data.
Salient Features.
Offline verification of Aadhaar number holder: The amendment allows ‘offline verification’ of an individual’s identity, without authentication, through modes specified by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by regulations. It will be based on informed consent and Aadhaar using agencies will not collect, use or store Aadhaar number or biometric information.
Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
|
Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002
|
Criticisms of the Amendment
Amendment was brought to circumvent a Supreme Court order on the Aadhaar issue.
Arguments in Support
Parliament has the legislative powers to undo a Supreme Court judgement.
Way Forward
Bring comprehensive legislation on data safety and its regulation, which is a burning issue after rising threat of cyber security attacks and cases of data theft worldwide. E.g. Data leaks and theft at Google and Facebook.