Many share details online without realising dangers

Hyderabad: One of the most contentious government documents in recent times is the Aadhaar card, which is mandatory for availing benefits under social security schemes. The Aadhaar card is now being linked to voter identity cards of individuals in TS. The Aadhaar card serves as an address and identity proof, especially for those who do not have passports or driving licenses.

A major issue with Aadhaar cards, as has been raised by many people, is that it can easily be made by illegal immigrants, who could then achieve legal status in India. A Bill was introduced to make the Aadhar card legal, but the standing parliamentary committee in December 2011 had rejected the draft. Data theft and cost of maintaining the services are other big concerns of the Aadhar card.

But city forensic experts say that there is no immediate threat to the Aadhaar card. Experts, however, said that on social networking sites and applications such Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber etc., one’s personal data was freely available.

An expert said, “Servers abroad have access to our mails, travel plans, salary slips, personal conversations, work and documents. Many share personal details, including pictures through mails, not knowing that the data is accessible. The cyber crime police in fact, seeks data from these servers and uses it to nab criminals or suspects. Everyone’s communication is at stake.”