Press Club of India slams UIDAI for filing FIR against reporter who exposed Aadhaar data leak

An FIR was registered against a journalist from The Tribune newspaper after a report on how easily Aadhaar data could be leaked went viral on social media, the Indian Express reported.

According to reports, UIDAI – the governing body that handles Aadhaar data – sent a letter to newspaper, demanding to know if the reporter could view fingerprints and iris details with Aadhaar number.

Reacting to the FIR, The Press Club of India, the Indian Women Press Club, Press Association have together condemned the filing of FIR against the Tribune reporter for the Aadhaar breach story.

UIDAI also said that it wasn't true that the it was 'targeting the media' or 'shooting the messenger'. 

In the recent case of The Tribune’s report in which an FIR is filed, an impression is being created in media that UIDAI is targeting the media or whistleblowers or “shooting the messenger”. This is not at all true. 1/n@timesofindia @DeccanHerald @DeccanChronicle @IndianExpress

— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 7, 2018

We respect Free Speech including the Freedom of Press and Media. However, our act of filing an FIR with full details of the incident should not be viewed as targeting the media or the whistle-blowers or “shooting the messenger. 3/n@ETNOWlive @abpnewstv @TimesNow

— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) January 7, 2018

"The move counters the UIDAI's claim that Aadhaar data, including biometric info is safe & secure."

Read the full statement below:

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps and Press Association express their strong objection and condemnation at the registration of a FIR against a reporter of The Tribune by an officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India for writing a story exposing alleged loopholes in the system. 

The FIR, lodged with the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch invokes serious charges under the IPC, IT Act and Aadhaar Act. This move runs counter to the UIDAI's claim that "the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure". If there is no breach, what is the offence they have supposed to have committed? Rather than addressing the loopholes which would actually ensure safety and security of the data and allay the general concerns about this, the UIDAI has chosen to persecute those whose actions appear to have been only in public interest - i.e, drawing attention to the possibility of data insecurity before someone with ulterior motives is able to exploit them.

The UIDAI filing criminal complaints against the reporter and her sources is clearly reflective of its misplaced priorities. We, the undersigned organisations find the UIDAI's move extremely intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to the pursuit of free, fair and independent journalism. We demand that the complaint and the proceedings related to it should be withdrawn forthwith.

Issued on behalf of -

Gautam Lahiri (President) - Press Club of India

Shobhna Jain (President) - Indian Women's Press Corps

Jai Shankar     (President) - Press Association