New Delhi: Nearly 200 eminent citizens and 54 rights organisations have reiterated their warning on Aadhaar, urging caution to countries who wish to repeat this model.

The statement, which is released on the eve of Human Rights Day, December 10, asks the international community not to fall for India's biometric identity model or the propaganda around it.

The signatories say they were compelled to release the statement after the ID4D Initiative of the World Bank began projecting Aadhaar as a success for countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda to emulate. UK prime minister Keir Starmer, meanwhile, called Aadhaar a "massive success" in his recent visit to India, reigniting a debate on a national ID in the UK.

The signatories highlight the Aadhaar in the last 15 years, especially the social exclusion it has brought forth.

The full text of their letter is below.

Beware of Aadhaar: A Warning on India’s Biometric Identity Model 

We, concerned Indian citizens and organisations, are alarmed to note that efforts are being made to promote biometric identity systems similar to Aadhaar in other countries. 

Aadhaar is India’s unique identity number, linked with a person’s biometrics (fingerprints, iris and photograph as of now). The number was rolled out with fanfare from 2009 onwards. The use of this number, and of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA), was promoted to the hilt by the Indian government in close collaboration with the IT industry. Aadhaar was supposed to be voluntary, but it quickly became clear that living without it would be very difficult for most. Today, it is as good as compulsory. Most social benefits are out of reach without Aadhaar. 

Aadhaar was rolled out in an explicitly “evangelistic” mode from day one. In recent years, it has been projected as a grand success by its promoters. Their friends in high places (like Davos, the World Bank, and the B&M Gates Foundation) are on board. There is an attempt, partly successful already, to project Aadhaar as a model and “export” it to other countries. 

For our part, we view Aadhaar as a failed and objectionable model that should not be replicated in other countries, certainly not in its Indian version. 

Our main concerns are as follows: 

1. Aadhaar involves the creation a centralized database that includes biometrics as well as demographic information (e.g. name, gender, date of birth and address). This could turn into a dangerous tool of social control, especially but not only in the hands of an authoritarian government. 
2. The linkage of numerous databases with Aadhaar magnifies the danger of it becoming a tool for profiling, surveillance, exclusion and worse. Centralized databases also pose data security risks by creating a single point of failure. 
3. While the “core biometrics” (biometrics minus photograph) in the Aadhaar database are supposed to be secure, the rest is freely shared with authorised users of Aadhaar authentication, with minimal safeguards. This is a major infringement of privacy. 
4. The demographic details attached to Aadhaar numbers in the database are full of errors, partly due to hasty rollout. Yet severe restrictions have been placed on correcting this information. Meanwhile, people are expected to align other documents with this unreliable information. This is causing endless hassles to poor people. Many of them are excluded from some or all social benefits. 
5. Biometric failures are another major source of social exclusion, especially for the elderly. Aadhaar was rolled out without any transparency about the reliability of biometric authentication.
6. A significant minority of people, mainly from marginalised groups (including disabled persons), do not have Aadhaar for some reason and no fault of their own. They are excluded from most social benefits. 
7. If an Aadhaar number is lost, it can be very difficult to retrieve. Poor people have been forced to make long and expensive trips to regional assistance centres for this purpose. Some never managed to retrieve it, and are now deprived of all social benefits. 
8. The coercive “seeding” of Aadhaar with endless databases (ration cards, job cards, pension lists, bank accounts, voter lists, what not), associated with function creep, is a monumental waste of time for functionaries and citizens. Seeding sounds simple but it requires biometric or demographic verification. Both can be very cumbersome. 
9. The rush for correction or update of Aadhaar details has led to humongous queues at many assistance centres, where people often wait in line for hours with no guarantee of remedy. There are no facilities for tracking of grievance redressal, continuity of  assistance, or other relief. People’s time and money are wasted to no end. 
10. Far from rooting out corruption, Aadhaar’s centralised database has enhanced information asymmetries and reduced transparency. Integration of Aadhaar with the banking system has magnified exposure to new vulnerabilities such as identity fraud. 
11. At every step, the Aadhaar project has been a law unto itself. It began without any legal backing. Later, the Aadhaar Act was passed by bypassing the Upper House of Parliament. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) often violates orders of the Supreme Court of India (e.g., protections for children and against use by private entities). It has enormous power and regularly issues rules that make life difficult for millions, without any serious feedback from affected people. A critical provision for  parliamentary oversight of UIDAI was dropped in the final version of the Aadhaar Act.

Articles and reports amplifying these concerns are available at rethinkaadhaar.in 

The promoters of Aadhaar were never able to justify this particular identity model or to explain what ills it is supposed to remedy. Instead, they relied on propaganda to push for it. Many countries have functional identity systems that are less coercive, invasive, exclusionary and unreliable than Aadhaar.  

We urge the greatest caution from countries that are considering a replication of the Aadhaar model. We would be happy to facilitate field visits for anyone interested in understanding these problems in more detail. 

Signatory Organisations

1. All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA)
2. All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ) 
3. All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) 
4. All India Students’ Association (AISA) 
5. Ambedkarijame Punadi (Andhra Pradesh) 
6. Bahutva Karnataka 
7. Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD) 
8. Dalit Bahujan Front 
9. Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF) 
10. Gig and Platform Services Workers Union 
11. Grakoos Union 
12. Hamal Panchayat (trade union) 
13. Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) 
14. Internet Freedom Foundation 
15. Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan (JJSS) 
16. Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) 
17. Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) 
18. JNU Students Union 
19. Karwan e Mohabbat 
20. Khudai Khidmatgar India 
21. LibTech India 
22. Maadhyam (a civic engagement initiative) 
23. Maharashtra Shramik Ustod & Vahtuk Kamgar Sanghatana (trade union)
24. Manjeera Dalitha Seva Samithi (Telangana) 
25. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) 
26. Moneylife Foundation 
27. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) 
28. National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR)
29. National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Workers
30. National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCCUSW)
31. National Campaign Committee on Eradication of Bonded Labour (NCCEBL)
32. National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) 
33. National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) 
34. National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) 
35. National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) 
36. New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) 
37. NREGA Sansharsh Morcha 
38. NREGA Watch (Jharkhand) 
39. Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS) 
40. Pension Parishad 
41. People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) 
42. People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) 
43. RANG Foundation 
44. Rethink Aadhaar 
45. Right to Food Campaign 
46. Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA)
47. Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT)
48. Samalochana Association (Andhra Pradesh) 
49. Sangatin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS) 
50. Satark Nagrik Sangathan 
51. Social Accountability Forum for Action and Research (SAFAR)
52. SR Sankaran Adivasi Sahaya Kendram (Andhra Pradesh)
53. United Forum for RTI Campaign (Andhra Pradesh) 
54. United Milli Forum (Jharkhand) 

Individual Signatories

1. Aakar Patel, Writer
2. Aban Raza, concerned citizen 
3. Abha Bhaiya, India coordinator, One Billion Rising campaign 
4. Aditi Mishra, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
5. Adv Albertina, National Alliance of People’s Movements 
6. Advocate Dr Shalu Nigam, Lawyer and researcher 
7. Advocate Vertika Mani, Org. Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties 8. Akhila Phadnis, concerned citizen 
8. Akshay S Dinesh, Action for Equity 
9. Alok Laddha, Chennai Mathematical Institute 
10. Alphonse Raj, concerned citizen 
11. Amber Sinha, Tech Policy Press 
12. Ambika Tandon, University of Cambridge 
13. Anand Mazgaonkar, concerned citizen 
14. Anand Patwardhan, Filmmaker 
15. Anand Teltumbde, Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Mumbai 17. Anantha, concerned citizen 
16. Anivar A Aravind, concerned citizen 
17. Ankita Aggarwal, concerned citizen 
18. Annie Raja, concerned citizen 
19. Anjor, Dialogues on Democracy and Development 
20. Anupam Pachauri, Indira Gandhi National Open University 
21. Anuradha Talwar, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity 
22. Anurag Mehra, Retired IIT Faculty 
23. Arun Khote, National Movement for Land, Labour & Justice
24. Arun Kumar, Retired Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University
25. Aruna Rodrigues, concerned citizen 
26. Aruna Roy, School for Democracy 
27. Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM Convenor 
28. Arundhati Roy, Writer 
29. Ashish Ranjan, National Alliance of People’s Movements 
30. Ashlesh Biradar, Brave New Web 
31. Ashok Bharti, National Confederation of Dalit Organisations
32. Ashokan Nambiar, C MAHE, Manipal, Karnataka 
33. Avantika Tewari, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
34. Baghamabar Pattnaik, Anti-slavery India 
35. Bela Bhatia, Lawyer and writer 
36. Bezwada Wilson, National Convenor, Safai Karmchari Andolan
37. Bhanuj Kappal, Independent journalist 
38. Bhanwar Meghwanshi, People’s Union for Civil Liberties 
39. Bhargav Oza, National Alliance for Justice, Accountability, and Rights
40. Bhoomika Pandhare, concerned citizen
41. Bhupen Singh, University of Sussex 
42. Bittu K R, Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression
43. 45. Brinda Crishna, concerned citizen 
44. Budhaditya Bhattacharya, concerned citizen 
45. Chirashree Das Gupta, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
46. Clifton D'Rosario, advocate 
47. Colin Gonsalves, advocate 
48. Danish Ali, concerned citizen 
49. Dayamani Barla, concerned citizen 
50. Deep Chandra Joshi, concerned citizen 
51. Devi, All India Democratic Women’s Association 
52. Dorothy Vallado, concerned citizen 
53. Dr Indu Prakash Singh, Facilitator, CityMakers Mission International
54. Dr Sudhir Vombatkere, concerned citizen 
55. Dr Sylvia Karpagam, Public health doctor 
56. Dwiji Guru, National Alliance of People’s Movements 
57. Edwin, OpenSpace 
58. Firoz Ahmad, school teacher 
59. Francis Bosco, National Federation of Unorganised and Migrant Workers
60. Gangaram Paikra, concerned citizen 
61. Gautam Bhatia, Constitutional law scholar and Professor of Law
62. Gouranga Mohapatra, Jana Swasthya Abhiyan Odisha 
63. Gowramma, Akila Bharath Janavadi Mahila Sangatane (Karnataka)
64. H M Sunasara, concerned citizen 
65. Harish Dhawan, concerned citizen 
66. Harsh Mander, Karwan e Mohabbat 
67. Hemant Sareen, concerned citizen  
68. Himmat Singh Ratnoo, Former Secretary MDU Teachers' Association (MDUTA) Rohtak
69. Hindolee Datta, concerned citizen 
70. Indira C, Public health researcher 
71. Indira Unninayar, Advocate, Supreme Court and Delhi High Court
72. Jagdish Patel, concerned citizen 
73. Jayati Ghosh, Economist 
74. James Herenj, NREGA Watch Jharkhand 
75. Jean Drèze, Development economist 
76. John Dayal, Writer 
77. John Simte, Lawyer 
78. Justice A.P. Shah, Retired Judge and former Chairman of the Law Commission of India
79. JT D’souza, concerned citizen 
80. K.A. Verghese, Green Kerala 
81. Karen Gabriel, St Stephen's College, Delhi 
82. Karuna M, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha 
83. Kalyani Menon Sen, Independent researcher 
84. Kelvin, concerned citizen 
85. Kiran Jonnalagadda, concerned citizen 
86. Koninika Ray, National Federation of Indian Women 
87. Krishnakant Chauhan, Activist 
88. Laavanya Tamang, Independent researcher 
89. Lawrence Liang, Legal academic 
90. Laxmi Murthy, Journalist and researcher 
91. Lubna Sarwath, Advocate 
92. M S Sriram, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore 
93. M. Balakrishnan, concerned citizen
94. Maimoona Mollah, Women's rights activist
95. Martin Macwan, concerned citizen 
96. Matthe Mautarelli, concerned citizen 
97. Meera Sanghamitra, National Alliance of People’s Movements
98. 100. Meghna Jayanth, concerned citizen 
99. Meghna Yadav, Researcher 
100. Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (retd)
101. Mukul Kesavan, Retired teacher 
102. Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi 
103. Nandita Narain, Associate Professor (Retd), St. Stephen's College, Delhi University
104. Nandita Sengupta, Journalist, Times of India 
105. Navsharan Singh, Researcher activist 
106. Nayanjyoti, Lecturer in Development Studies, Delhi 
107. NB Murthy, concerned citizen 
108. Neeraj Hatekar, Researcher 
109. Nikhil Dey, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan 
110. Nishant S, Researcher 
111. Nishi, concerned citizen 
112. Nitish Kumar, Former JNUSU President 
113. Nivedita Menon, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
114. Om Damani, concerned citizen 
115. P. Sainath, journalist 
116. Padmini Ramesh, Johns Hopkins University 
117. Paran Amitava, PhD Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
118. Parth Sharma, Nivarana 
119. Parthasarathi Paul, concerned citizen 
120. Persis Ginwalla, concerned citizen 
121. Praavita, Rethink Aadhaar 
122. Pradeep E, concerned citizen 
123. Pradyumna Behera, Independent researcher 
124. Prafulla Samantara, President, Lok Shakti Abhiyan 
125. Prakash Louis, Bihar migrant hub 
126. Prasad Chacko, Social worker, Ahmedabad 
127. Prasanna S, Advocate, Supreme Court of India 
128. Praveer Peter, National Alliance of People’s Movements 
129. Prof Ritu Dewan, Director (Retd), Mumbai School of Economics & Public Policy
130. Prof. Mohan Rao, concerned citizen 
131. Purbayan C, Advocate 
132. Pushpendra, Former Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
133. Rahul Basu, concerned citizen 
134. Raj Shekhar, Right to Food Campaign 
135. Rajaraman, Independent journalist and researcher 
136. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, concerned citizen 
137. Rajinder Chaudhary, Former Professor of Economics, MD University, Rohtak
138. Rama Teltumbde, concerned citizen 
139. Raman Jit Singh Chima, Lawyer 
140. Ramdas Rao, Member, People’s Union for Civil Liberties 
141. Rammanohar Reddy, Editor 
142. Reetika Khera, Development economist 
143. Renuka Kad, concerned citizen 
144. Ritash, RANG Foundation 
145. Rohini Hensman, Writer and independent scholar 
146. Rohith Jyothish, concerned citizen
147. Rosamma Thomas, concerned citizen
148. S.Q. Masood, ASEEM 
149. Sakina Dhorajiwala, LibTech India 
150. Sameet Panda, Right to Food Campaign 
151. Sandeep Khurana, Retired professional 
152. Sandeep Mertia, Stevens Institute of Technology 
153. Sarah M, concerned citizen 
154. Seema Mahi, concerned citizen 
155. Shabnam Hashmi, Independent social activist 
156. Shahjahan, concerned citizen 
157. Shahvir Aga, concerned citizen 
158. Shailja Tandon, concerned citizen 
159. Shailly Gupta, concerned citizen 
160. Shantha Sinha, Independent advocate of children's rights
161. Sharanya, Indigenous People’s Land, Life and Knowledge Collective
162. Shishu Ranjan, All India Forum for Right to Education
163. Shiva Shankar, Retired academic 
164. Shreekant Gupta, Professor (retired), University of Delhi
165. Shruti Narayan, Lawyer 
166. Siddharth de Souza, concerned citizen 
167. Siddhartha Das, Public health activist 
168. Snehan Kekre, Technologist 
169. Sookthi K, concerned citizen 
170. Srikanth, CashlessConsumer 
171. Srinivas Kodali, Independent researcher 
172. Srujana Bej, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University
173. Stella James, Independent legal consultant 
174. Sucheta Dalal, Founder Trustee, Moneylife Foundation
175. Sudhir Gandotra, concerned citizen 
176. Sunil Kaul, Right to Food and Information 
177. Suresh Chandra Joshi, concerned citizen 
178. Suruchi, concerned citizen 
179. Swathi, Eddelu, Karnataka 
180. Swati Desai, concerned citizen 
181. Swati Narayan, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
182. Syed Asif Ali Zaidi, Lawyer 
183. T M Krishna, Musician and author 
184. T. Ramakrishnan, concerned citizen 
185. Tarangini Sriraman, King's College, London 
186. Timir Basu, Frontier Weekly 
187. Trilochan S, concerned citizen 
188. Uma Chakravarti, historian 
189. Usha Ramanathan, Independent law researcher 
190. V Rukmini Rao, Feminist activist 
191. V Upadhyay, Retired professor 
192. Vasavi Kiro, concerned citizen 
193. Vasundhar, concerned citizen 
194. Veena Shatrugna, Independent researcher 
195. Vickram Crishna, Independent researcher 
196. Vimala k.s., concerned citizen 
197. Vipul Paikra, Independent researcher 
198. Vivek K, concerned citizen
199. Winona D'Souza, Lawyer, Mumbai

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