Govt compromised Aadhaar data with CIA: CPI(M)

The report said that the US firm, with which UIDAI had a tie-up is partly funded by a company which is the non-profit venture capital arm of the CIA

CPI(M) today charged the UPA government with compromising vital data under the Aadhaar scheme and sought cancellation of a tie-up between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and a US firm reportedly financed by an arm of CIA.

"The collection of personal data and biometrics of all Indian citizens through the Aadhaar programme has been made available to the United States' agencies through the employment of these companies," party Politburo said in a statement here.

"It is now known through the Snowden files that the US authorities have been suborning all data through US telecom and internet companies. The Indian government and the UIDAI has compromised the vital data collected of Indian citizens by such tie-ups," it said.

The report had said that the US firm, with which UIDAI had a tie-up to help in capturing and analysing Aadhaar data of over a billion citizens, is partly funded by a company which is the non-profit venture capital arm of the CIA.

Terming the report as "a matter of deep concern," CPI(M) said UIDAI had earlier too entered into contracts with a US- based company and another French company for the Aadhaar project.

It also maintained that the UIDAI's data collection has "no legal basis" but was still "being used illegally to make the Aadhaar number compulsory for delivery of social services and subsidies."

CPI(M) demanded cancellation of the tie-up with foreign companies and suspension of the Aadhaar scheme "till Parliament deliberates and decides on its future and, if required, a legislative enactment".