Tuesday 14 November 2017

Murdering My Self-Esteem


Finger-prints are collected as part of biometric data bases for issuance of identity documents like passport and AADHAR. While passport is a proof of identity and citizenship, AADHAR is only a proof of identity.

Some countries collect finger prints from non-citizens before issuing them permission (Visas) to visit that country.

Finger printing is also done by the investigation agencies for corroborating evidence against an accused.

For the last few days, my mobile telephone service provider has been sending a message asking me to REPORT to one of their shops, share my AADHAR number with their EXECUTIVE (?), give my finger prints (to UN-SPECIFIED PERSON?), and confirm the OTP sent on my phone. I must do this in order to receive continued services.

Clearly, the threat being given is that if I don't comply, my mobile service shall be discontinued.

The mobile numbers collected at different places are sold for making unsolicited pesky sales calls.  The DND (Do Not Disturb) registration doesn't work. There is more than one example where even the AADHAR database has been breached.

What are the chances that my finger prints will be sold to be misused on finger-print readers at attendance/entry points or compromising my laptop and mobile phone? What is the safeguard that my finger prints will not be sold and may be found planted at scenes of crime in future?

Who is this person collecting my finger-prints and under what authority. Would he give his finger prints to me and his AADHAR number before he collects mine? I need this for my sense of safety.

Am I accused of some crime that I have to be finger-printed?  Do I have to be finger-printed to use a mobile phone? What are the other services for which I will be finger-printed if I need to avail them?

This direction kills my sense of self-worth. May be I will preserve my self-worth and give up the mobile phone. Coming to think of it, I lived without a mobile phone until the last century. I did not even have a landline until 1997 having waited for a connection under OYT for over 5-years. And life had lesser anxieties and tensions.

May be I will be fine with a landline connection or even without it if the phone-booths will come up once again – which I am sure would, if more people choose self-esteem over a mobile phone.

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1 Comments:

At 22 November 2017 at 09:09 , Anonymous Anonymous said...

It appears that the Government did acknowledge the risks highlighted and has now withdrawn the finger printing by service providers - see the advertisement from AADHAR in Hindustan Times 22 November 2017

 

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