We are anonymous, we are legion

Future Value of Data

Admin — 2018-01-17T00:32:50Z

Carnegie India with support of Facebook organized a workshop in Bengaluru on January 10, 2018. Sunil Abraham participated in the workshop.

The event focused on the political economy of reform in India, foreign and security policy, and the role of innovation and technology in India's internal transformation and international relations.

Core aims of the workshop included:

Share and debate views on what changes we expect in the value of data over next decade.
Challenge and explore the underlying drivers of change across broad arena.
Debate the regional and global perspectives and highlight unique issues of greatest impact.
Build an informed collective view on the topic for all to use going forward.

For more details on Future of Value Data, click here

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/future-value-of-data

Token security or tokenized security?

Admin — 2018-01-17T00:17:41Z

Implementing a system of tokenization for Aadhaar verification will address the security loopholes highlighted in recent reports.

The article by Manasa Venkataraman and Ajay Patri was published in Livemint on January 9, 2018.

Those who were reassured that the Aadhaar architecture is safe and secure have faced a few rude shocks lately. First, there was the recent report in The Tribune on how one of its reporters was easily able to log in to the Aadhaar website and access any enrolled Indian’s personal information, all for a grand fee of Rs500. While the veracity of this report is still being contested by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), it has stirred panic over the security of personal data entrusted to the government. This came close on the heels of reports last month that a telecom company was utilizing the eKYC (know your customer) data of its mobile subscribers to open payment bank accounts without their consent.

These two instances highlight scenarios where data from the Aadhaar database is vulnerable. In the first, the weaknesses in security measures and processes around the database leave information susceptible to an attack. In the second, providing third-party entities loosely regulated access to an individual’s data leaves scope for abuse.

There is a need to protect the data belonging to individuals in these situations, providing the government with two possible policy options: it can choose to either overhaul the Aadhaar architecture completely, or it can build in additional security measures to ensure that individual data is not compromised.

Uninventing Aadhaar is not a practical proposal. It would have to include repealing the statute on Aadhaar, disbanding the database already created, and figuring out alternative means of delivering the services that are now dependent on Aadhaar. A more sustainable way forward is to better secure Aadhaar. This will involve not only the secure collection and storage of personal data, but also a safe regulation of the manner in which third parties use it for authentication.

One way to protect Aadhaar-related communications is to channel them through a secure conduit. This can be achieved through a system of temporary tokens for Aadhaar-based verifications. Sunil Abraham from the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has recommended a system of using dummy or virtual Aadhaar numbers along with a smart card to protect information belonging to individuals.

Tokenization is the process of masking sensitive personal data with another innocuous dataset, allowing it to be shared with third parties without the risk of the personal data being exposed. So, every time a service provider asks for identification, the individual can provide a one-time-ID number generated by an Aadhaar app or on UIDAI’s website. The service provider can authenticate the one-time-ID number with the Aadhaar database, without needing to know or store the Aadhaar number. The algorithm used to generate the one-time-ID number must be constructed using hard-to-replicate information and kept a well-guarded secret. No two service providers will have the same one-time ID, making it harder for personal profiles to be constructed by mining data from multiple service providers, thus enabling a higher level of privacy protection.

Allowing such a system of tokenization for every eKYC can create a welcome layer of ambiguity around individuals’ personal data and preserve the individuals’ Aadhaar-related information with the government. This system also breaks the link between the Aadhaar database and any third party having access to an individual’s Aadhaar number. If this link is not broken, then any entity—government or private—would have access to potentially millions of Aadhaar card numbers, opening endless possibilities for data abuse.

The tokenization process allows the authority to arrest any attempts at data abuse. In fact, to make this system of tokens or one-time-ID numbers effective, the law must build in measures to penalize any attempt to recreate an individual’s Aadhaar number from the unique token number. In other words, the service provider is given a token number for authentication, but prohibited from obtaining the Aadhaar number it corresponds to.

Tokenization is an improvement over the status quo, but only in one aspect—making Aadhaar secure. It is imperative that the government pays equal attention to the manner in which all data is collected, stored and disposed of by the authority. There are two facets to be explored here: first, ensuring secure storage of the vast information database, and second, plugging security loopholes that happen at collection by limiting access to the database.

The adoption of appropriate technical safeguards is indispensable to thwart external threats to the Aadhaar database, such as ransomware attacks. Having appropriate security, and having periodic audits to test the adequacy of such security, is indispensable.

Equally, limiting access to the database is crucial for preventing leaks, such as the ones reported in The Tribune. It is important that only a select few individuals have access to the database and that these personnel are properly vetted before being vested with such responsibility.

These various facets of the Aadhaar ecosystem are likely to be further examined in the public in the weeks to come as the Supreme Court gears up to hear the petitions on Aadhaar. Regardless of the verdict, there is an urgent need to improve the safety of the Aadhaar ecosystem and the use of tokenization goes some way towards achieving this objective.

Manasa Venkataraman and Ajay Patri are researchers at the Takshashila Institution, an independent, non-partisan think tank and school of public policy.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/livemint-january-9-2018-manasa-venkataraman-ajay-patri-token-security-or-tokenized-security

India To Introduce Virtual ID For Aadhaar To Strengthen Privacy

Admin — 2018-01-17T00:11:13Z

The government will introduce a virtual identification number for Aadhaar to help strengthen privacy following several instances of data leaks.

The blog post was published by Bloomberg Quint on January 11, 2018.

The additional layer of security is meant to help Aadhaar users avoid sharing their unique identification number at the time of authentication to avail various services and welfare schemes, UIDAI said in a circular seen by BloombergQuint. The virtual ID will be an optional feature and users will be allowed to provide Aadhaar for verification.

The Aadhaar-issuing body, Unique Identification Authority of India, will also introduce limited know-your-customer rules to eliminate the need for agencies to store the biometric ID. Migration to the new system will start from June 1, it added.

Virtual IDs should be made mandatory and the UIDAI should itself generate these codes instead of having the user do it, said Pranesh Prakash, policy director at the Center for Internet Security, which has published reports on the security flaws in the world’s largest database.

This takes into account concerns of third-party databases being combined without the consent of the individual but fails to address issues of government surveillance, exclusion and cybersecurity, he added.

The move comes barely a week after The Tribune, a Chandigarh-based newspaper, reported that it could access the Aadhaar database by paying Rs 500, raising privacy concerns. Petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar and the government’s decision to make it mandatory for everything from bank accounts to mobile services are pending in the Supreme Court.

As of now, citizens are required to share their Aadhaar number for authentication to avail certain services. With the introduction of the virtual ID that would change.

It would be a randomly generated 16-digit number that'd be digitally linked to a person's Aadhaar number. This ID would be temporary and revocable. There can be only one active and valid virtual ID for an Aadhaar number at any given point in time. Aadhaar holders will be able to use the virtual ID whenever authentication is required.

Virtual ID, by design being temporary, cannot be used by agencies for duplication.
UIDAI Circular

Only Aadhaar holders themselves can generate a virtual ID and set a minimum validity period for that after which it will have to be replaced by a new one. The virtual IDs can be changed through UIDAI's portal, at an Aadhaar enrolment centre or using the mAadhaar mobile application, the circular said.

Who Can Store Your Aadhaar Data?

The UIDAI will limit the number of agencies that can access and store your Aadhaar number. For this purpose, it will divide the agencies that seek to use Aadhaar authentication for services into two categories—global and local.

Global authentication agencies will be allowed to "securely" store the Aadhaar number, while local agencies won't. The latter would be the ones that’d use the virtual IDs and a unique token for authentication.

The Aadhaar-issuing body has not clearly defined what would classify as a global agency. It has only said that it will "from time to time" evaluate authentication agencies "based on the laws governing them and categorise them" as global agencies. Any authentication agency that is not classified as global would be local.

Transition To New System

UIDAI has told all agencies that use Aadhaar authentication to update their applications and processes for accepting virtual IDs instead of the Aadhaar number and allow authentication using the UID token. This has to be done by June 1.

If an agency fails to migrate to the new system by then, their authentication services "may be discontinued" and a penalty may be imposed, UIDAI said.

UIDAI will release the updated tools and protocols required for building the authentication software by March 1. All authentication agencies would also receive technical documents, workshops and training session to ensure smooth implementation.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/bloomberg-quint-january-11-2018-india-to-introduce-virtual-id-for-aadhaar-to-strengthen-privacy

Virtual Aadhaar ID: too little, too late?

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:59:21Z

Problems persist as many have already shared their 12-digit number with various entities, say experts

The article by Yuthika Bhargava was published in the Hindu on January 11, 2018

The move to introduce an “untested” virtual ID to address security concerns over Aadhaar database is a step in the right direction, but may be a case of too little, too late, according to experts, as many of the 119 crore Aadhaar holders have already shared their 12-digit numbers with various entities.

“What about all the databases that are already linked up with our Aadhaar number? Virtual ID will therefore not attack the root of the problem. At best, it is band-aid,” said Reetika Khera, faculty, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi.

“Can we realistically expect rural folks to use this to protect themselves? Or are we pushing the barely literate into the hands of middlemen who will ‘help’ them navigate it?” she questioned.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday introduced the concept of a virtual ID that can be used in lieu of the Aadhaar number at the time of authentication, thus eliminating the need to share and store Aadhaar numbers. It can be generated only by the Aadhaar number-holder via the UIDAI website, Aadhaar enrolment centre, or its mobile application.

Experts pointed out that the virtual ID is voluntary and the Aadhaar number will still need to be used at some places.

“Unless all entities are required to use virtual IDs or UID tokens, and are barred from storing Aadhaar numbers, the new measures won’t really help,” said Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director, Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru.

Kiran Jonnalagadda, co-founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, agreed. “The idea is good but it should have been done in 2010, as now all the data is already out. Now, what can be done is revoke everybody’s Aadhaar and give new IDs.”

Mr. Jonnalagadda added that Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) categorised as ‘global AUAs’ by the UIDAI will be exempted from using the virtual IDs. “These are likely to be entities which require de-duplication for subsidy transfer, such as banks and government agencies. All the leaks have happened till now from these entities. So, basically, the move will exempt the parties that are the problem,” he said.

Vipin Nair, one of the advocates representing the petitioners who have challenged the Aadhaar Act in the Supreme Court said, “It is potentially a case of unmitigated chaos purely from an Information Technology perspective.”

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/hindu-yuthika-bhargava-january-11-2018-virtual-aadhaar-id-too-little-too-late

UIDAI's Virtual ID, limited KYC does little to protect Aadhaar data already collected, say critics

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:51:44Z

Aadhaar-issuing body, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), had barely started patting itself on the back for introducing the Virtual ID concept, what CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey called "one of biggest recent innovations in this field", when detractors came crawling out of the woodwork, all guns blazing.

The article was published in Business Today on January 12, 2018.

"Under compulsion, millions of persons have already shared Aadhaar number with many service providers. New security layer is like locking the stable after horses have bolted," tweeted P. Chidambaram, Congress veteran and former finance minister. This is not just an opposition party member taking potshots at the government. As of last month, close to 14 crore out of about 30 crore Permanent Account Numbers (PANs) had already been linked to Aadhaar and 70% of the estimated 100 crore bank accounts had been seeded. This will be the case for insurance policies as well as all government-sponsored welfare schemes and services since the Supreme Court ruling to extend the deadline for mandatory Aadhaar linking came just a fortnight before the government's December 21 deadline. So how does the new two-tier security system protect all that Aadhaar data already collected by sundry agencies?

The short answer is that it does not. According to media reports, banks and other service providers have not been asked to delete stored Aadhaar data from their databases. The only directive is to enforce the new security system within the June 1 deadline. In the absence of a legal mandate, agencies can very well choose to retain any Aadhaar data previously collected on their servers, leaving it open to any number of security breaches in the future.

So, it would appear that the new VID and limited KYC norms are good ideas, just too late in arriving. Only procrastinators putting off linking Aadhaar to essential services stand to gain, unless the government decides to revoke all existing Aadhaar cards and issue fresh 12-digit unique identification numbers post June 1.

Where the new security system definitely scores is on the privacy front. To remind you, VID a temporary, 16-digit, randomly-generated number that an Aadhaar holder can use for authentication or KYC services along with his/her fingerprint instead in lieu of the Aadhaar number. The VID together with biometrics of the user would give any authorized agency, say, a mobile company, limited details like name, address and photograph, which are enough for any verification. You can generate/replace Virtual IDs on the UIDAI website, Aadhaar mobile app and at enrolment centres.

Since the system-generated VID will be mapped to an individual's Aadhaar number at the back end, it will do away with the need for the user to share Aadhaar number with sundry service agencies. This will, in turn, reduce the collection of Aadhaar numbers by various agencies. VIDs being temporary cannot be de-duplicated and as an added precaution, agencies that undertake authentication will not be allowed to generate VIDs on behalf of Aadhaar holders.

Furthermore, under limited KYC, UIDAI will evaluate all Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) and split them into two categories: Global AUAs and Local AUAs. Only agencies whose services, by law, require them to store the Aadhaar number-qualified as Global AUAs-will enjoy access to full demographic details of an individual. All the remaining AUAs will be branded as Local AUAs and will neither get access to full KYC, nor can they store the Aadhaar number on their systems. Instead, they will get a tokenised number issued by UIDAI to identify their customers. The 72 character alphanumeric 'UID Token' for your Aadhaar number will reportedly be different for every authentication body you approach so agencies will no longer be able to merge databases, thus enhancing privacy substantially.

However, there's a problem here, too. As Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director of Bengaluru-based Centre for Internet and Society, told The Hindu, "unless all entities are required to use VIDs or UID tokens, and are barred from storing Aadhaar numbers, the new measures won't really help."

In a recent online survey, conducted by social engagement platform LocalCircles, 52% of 15,000 respondents said they feared that their Aadhaar data might not be safe from unauthorised access by hackers and information sellers. The UIDAI's latest move does little to allay this doubt.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/uidais-virtual-id-limited-kyc-does-little-to-protect-aadhaar-data-already-collected-say-critics

Aadhaar Body Talked About Virtual ID 7 Years Ago, Put It Off: UIDAI Chief

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:42:58Z

"And at that time, it was felt that let us first give Aadhaar number, let us see how it plays out and then, at an appropriate time, this will be introduced," Ajay Bhushan Pandey, the chief executive officer of UIDAI, or the Unique Identification Authority of India said in an interview to NDTV this week. He called it an "extra layer of security" for the 119 crore people issued Aadhaar numbers.

The blog post by Sukriti Dwivedi was published by NDTV on January 13, 2018.

Virtual ID, the 16-digit temporary number, announced by UIDAI this week had been suggested way back in 2009-10 when its architects were still designing the system. But the Aadhaar authority, which has called Virtual ID a unique innovation to enhance privacy and security, decided against rolling it out at that time.

It may be a step forward. But not everyone is as convinced.

Cyber security Jiten Jain is one of them. Mr Jain told NDTV that UIDAI should first of all decide if the Aadhaar number was confidential information or not because it had changed its stance on this aspect on more than one occasion.

Like when government departments put out lakhs of Aadhaar number, the government agency had insisted that there was nothing really confidential about the number which could not be misused. Or when The Tribune earlier this month claimed to have found gaps in UIDAI's security system that let the newspaper demographic details of an individual, UIDAI claimed that "the Aadhaar number is not a secret number" anyways.

Also, a point is being made that if hiding an Aadhaar number enhances privacy, then what about the crores of people who have been forced to share their Aadhaar numbers - and a copy of their Aadhaar cards - all these years.

Experts suggest the timing of the announcement may not have been a coincidence. The initiative came against the backdrop of mounting privacy concerns after the newspaper expose. The hearing by a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court to decide if the Aadhaar project violates citizens' privacy is to start hearing from next week, January 17.

Srinivas Kodali, cyber security expert and an Aadhaar researcher, said it was clear that the UIDAI had brought it hurriedly. "They said they will release the codes by March 1. So it clearly looks like they haven't planned this thoroughly," he said.

There are also concerns about the ability of people living in remote areas to generate the Virtual IDs, in terms of connectivity and literacy. That means a large proportion of people would not be able to generate the Virtual IDs.

UIDAI chief Mr Pandey said there was nothing to prevent them from continuing to use their Aadhaar number. It is an option, he stressed.

This, experts at the Bengaluru-based research group, Centre for Internet and Society, which has long advocated for a token system such as the Virtual ID, said was a problem area.

UIDAI chief Mr Pandey said there was nothing to prevent them from continuing to use their Aadhaar number. It is an option, he stressed.

This, experts at the Bengaluru-based research group, Centre for Internet and Society, which has long advocated for a token system such as the Virtual ID, said was a problem area.

"Privacy can be protected by design and not by choice," said CIS executive director Sunil Abraham, who believes the biggest flaw with Aadhaar was its design.

"Since it is not mandatory most people will just use the Aadhaar number instead of getting into the hassle of generating a VID... This is privacy through hurdles instead of privacy by design. I suggest authorities should generate VIDs for people and ensure that third parties only use VID and not the Aadhaar number," Pranesh Prakash at the CIS' policy director told NDTV.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/ndtv-sukriti-dwivedi-january-13-2018-aadhaar-body-talked-about-virtual-id-7-years-ago-put-it-off-uidai-chief

Hammered government offers Virtual ID firewall to protect your Aadhaar

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:34:12Z

Days after reports surfaced claiming security breaches, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Wednesday announced the implementation of a new security protocol that would remove the need to divulge Aadhaar numbers during authentication processes and limit third-party access to KYC details.

The article was published in New Indian Express on January 11, 2018.

Admitting that the “collection and storage of Aadhaar numbers by various entities has heightened privacy concerns”, the UIDAI circular said Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) providing Aadhaar services have to be ready to implement the protocol from March 1, 2018. From June 1 use of Virtual ID for authentication would be mandatory.

The linchpin of the new protocol will be the virtual ID (VID) — a “temporary, revocable 16-digit random number” that can be used instead of Aadhaar to verify or link services. VIDs will have a limited validity and can be generated only by the Aadhaar holder. “UIDAI will provide various options to generate, retrieve and replace VIDs… these will be made available via UIDAI’s resident portal, Aadhaar Enrolment Centre, mAadhaar mobile application, etc.,” it said. While only one VID per Aadhaar number will be valid at a time, users can revoke and generate new VIDs as many times as desired.

UIDAI will also limit KYC details accessible by AUAs by classifying them as Global AUAs, which are required to use Aadhaar e-KYC by law, and Local AUAs. Only the former will have full access to e-KYC details and can store Aadhaar numbers. Local AUAs will only have access to limited KYC details and be prohibited from storing Aadhaar numbers. UIDAI will also generate UID tokens which will be used to identify customers within agencies’ systems, but these will not be usable by other AUAs.

However, cybersecurity experts say that even if the new “patch” is effective, verification processes will have to be redone to prevent misuse of already-leaked Aadhaar numbers. “The concept is attractive, but the devil is in the details,” observed Pavan Duggal, cyberlaw expert, adding that the new system does not address those who have already gained unauthorised access to Aadhaar numbers. Sunil Abraham, executive director, Centre for Internet and Society, was more categorical. “If it has to be effective, they will have to redo (Aadhaar-KYC) from scratch.”

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/indian-express-january-11-2018-

Bengaluru gives data safety tips to panel

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:19:00Z

A crucial consultation ahead of the framing of the country's data protection laws witnessed animated discussions here on Saturday.

The article was published in Deccan Herald on January 14, 2018

Participants raised a variety of concerns. Held on the IISc campus, it discussed everything from revenge porn and human genomics to artificial intelligence and the right to be forgotten.

Cybersecurity experts, academics, lawyers and others attended the day-long event.

They made their submissions to the Srikrishna Committee, formed on July 31 last year to frame principles for data protection laws.

The session was chaired by Justice B N Srikrishna, retired Supreme Court judge. Also on the panel were Rama Vedashree, CEO, Data Security Council of India, and Gopalakrishnan S.

The basis of the discussion was a 200-page document drafted by the nine members of the Srikrishna Committee. January 31 is the deadline to respond to the committee's white paper.

Classification of data

Several dystopian scenarios, such as profiling and discrimination with the help of behavioural and psychometric data, led to discussions on the need for classification of data types.

Darshana, a lawyer from the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), spoke about how people were being denied rations for not holding Aadhaar.

The collection of children's biometric data brought up the question of consent.

Srikrishna clarified the white paper contained a chapter on consent: it suggests an age limit below which parental consent will have to be mandatory.

A discussion on the right to be forgotten arose after some participants sought a provision to revoke consent already given.

Questions associated with genome sequencing were raised by Vijay Chandru, professor, IISc.

"We need to pay special attention to this type of information. The collection of DNA in the form of saliva, when, say, you make a visit to a weight loss clinic, has become the commercial norm. The Insurance Regulatory Act can have huge implications as genetic data can be used to discriminate and deny health coverage," Chandru said.

Sunil Abraham, head of the Centre for Internet and Society, said he was delighted with the quality of debate and discussion.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/deccan-herald-january-14-2018-pranshu-rathee-bengaluru-gives-data-safety-tips-to-panel

UIDAI introduces new two-layer security system to improve Aadhaar privacy

Admin — 2018-01-16T23:08:34Z

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a system of virtual authentication for citizens enrolled on its database and limited the access available to service providers in a move aimed at allaying widespread concern over security breaches that have dogged the world's largest repository of citizen data.

The article was published in Economic Times on January 11, 2018.

In one of the most significant security upgrades by the eightyear old agency, the UIDAI announced the creation of a "virtual ID" which can be used in lieu of the 12-digit Aadhaar number at the time of authentication for any service.

The UIDAI has also limited access to stored personal information and mandated the use of unique tokens through which authenticating agencies can access required data. It claims that the measures will strengthen privacy and also prevent combining of databases linked to Aadhaar.

ET was the first to report about the UIDAI plan to introduce virtual numbers to address security concerns in its November 20 edition last year.

A top government official told ET that UIDAI has been working on this technology since July of 2016. "This is going to be one of the biggest innovations ever, people can change their virtual ID whenever they want or after every authentication or every 10 seconds." He added that this will silence most critics of Aadhaar.

"The Aadhaar number being the permanent ID for life, there is need to provide a mechanism to ensure its continued use while optimally protecting the collection and storage in many databases," the UIDAI said in a notification on Wednesday while announcing the new measures.

More Needed to be Done: Experts

"The collection and storage of Aadhaar number by various entities has heightened privacy concerns," it stated.

Under the new regime, for every Aadhaar number, the authority will issue a 16-digit virtual identity number which will be "temporary and revocable at any time."

This virtual ID can be generated only by the individual Aadhaar holder and can be replaced by a new one after a minimum validity period.

In addition, while some Authentication User Agencies (AUA) — categorised by the UIDAI as 'Global' — will have access to all the details or the e-KYC of a specific Aadhaar number, all other agencies will only have access to limited data through the virtual identity number.

"So this is a very very significant thing and I think this is a great step forward," said Nandan Nilekani, former chairman of UIDAI, in an interview to television channel ET Now on Wednesday.

Nilekani, widely regarded as the architect of Aadhaar, said that through these new security measures the possibility of the Aadhaar number being stored in many databases also goes away.

It will make a huge difference in allaying the concerns and it really "eliminates all the arguments against Aadhaar," he told ET Now.

Last week, Chandigarh-based daily The Tribune reported that demographic data from the Aadhaar database could be accessed for as little as Rs 500. The expose led to the UIDAI barring over 5,000 officials from accessing its portal through login ids and passwords. It also introduced biometric authentication for future access, as reported by ET on Tuesday.

The widespread fear of misuse of demographic data is heightened by the fact that India still does not have a data protection legislation. The country's apex court is scheduled to resume its hearing on the validity of the Aadhaar scheme next week on January 17.

Kamlesh Bajaj, former CEO of the Data Security Council of India said by limiting access to only those agencies mandated by law, the UIDAI has ensured that "someone will not be able to combine database. It's a positive development in my view and technologically feasible," he said

Expert Views

Privacy experts and activists were of the view that more needs to be done to ensure foolproof security for critical personal information.

The Bengaluru-based research organisation Centre for Internet and Society has suggested that all the Aadhaar seeding with all the existing databases should be revoked. "Until then, it is one step ahead and but not enough," said Sunil Abraham, executive director of CIS.

To enable a speedy rollout of the new safety standards, the UIDAI plans to release the required technical updates by March 1, 2018 and all the Authentication agencies using the Aadhaar database will need to upgrade their systems latest by June 1, 2018.

In its circular, UIDAI has also said that agencies not allowed to use or store the Aadhaar number should make changes inside their systems to replace Aadhaar number within their databases with UID Token.

"Unless there is complete revocation, some database with Aadhaar numbers will still float around and secondly there is no reason why some data controllers should be trusted, the tokenisation should be implemented for everyone," said CIS's Abraham.

The circular said that authentication using virtual ID will be performed in the same manner as the Aadhaar number and people can generate or retrieve their virtual numbers (in case they forget) at the UIDAI's resident portal, Aadhaar Enrolment Centers, or through the Aadhaar mobile application.

In addition to the virtual numbers, UIDAI will also provide "unique tokens" to each agency against an Aadhaar number to ensure that they are to establish the uniqueness of beneficiaries in their database such as for distributing government subsidies under cooking gas or scholarships.

Activists argue that most service providers — even digital ones — work with a paper ID card system. "They don't cross-check it with the UIDAI database. UIDAI is not issuing virtual ids for paper cards, and a new category of so called Global AUAs are exempted from using the virtual ids, so citizens are not protected almost anywhere that they need to use Aadhaar," said Kiran Jonnalagadda, co-founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, who said the change doesn't help enough to secure the ecosystem.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/economic-times-january-11-2018-uidai-introduces-new-two-layer-security-system-to-improve-aadhaar-privacy

Is your personal information under lock and key?

Admin — 2018-01-16T16:54:33Z

Customers, be more careful about how you log in and log off!

The article by Sravanthi Challapalli was published by Hindu Businessline on January 16, 2018.

We’re coming off a year that was highlighted by several data breaches around the world. In India, the Aadhaar debate continues to make headlines, with allegations about its data theft and Big Brother potential for surveillance. And for quite a while now, the marketing world has been suffused with mention of artificial intelligence, chatbots, big data, data-driven analytics, and other such buzzwords. The ultimate, stated aim is to make life simpler for the citizen/customer. But how secure is our data, which we put out there both voluntarily and by mandate, and what can we do to protect it?

Laziness will hurt

A study by security services provider Gemalto found that retailers (76 per cent), banks (74 per cent) and social media sites (71 per cent) operating in India have a lot of work to do on this front. Consumers would leave if their personal information suffered a breach, it said. Even as the majority of customers said businesses don’t treat their data with due respect, they did not take enough precautions themselves, it observed. Fifty-one per cent of the study’s respondents used the same password across several online accounts and many did not use even available solutions such as two-factor authentication to protect social media accounts, making them susceptible to data breaches. They also believed the onus of protecting data lay on the business.

Caveats of little help

The Government has set up a committee of experts headed by Justice BN Srikrishna to look into the issue, invite comments and propose a draft law. The objective is to “ensure growth of the digital economy while keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected.” As of now, there is no law that exclusively deals with data protection though there are some provisions in the Information Technology Act of 2011.

So, caveat emptor? “Caveat emptor has meaning only when the customer has enough knowledge to protect himself,” says Sunil Abraham, Executive Director of the Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society. Using the sausage factory analogy (no one knew what went into the products and how clean they were), he says few know how big data is used. Regulation can help in this regard. He expects India to have data protection rules in place in a couple of years.
The Government has set up a committee of experts headed by Justice BN Srikrishna to look into the issue, invite comments and propose a draft law. The objective is to “ensure growth of the digital economy while keeping personal data of citizens secure and protected.” As of now, there is no law that exclusively deals with data protection though there are some provisions in the Information Technology Act of 2011.

Efficiency all round

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Executive Director Puneet Nanda says digital data storage has catalysed efficiency on several fronts. “Technology helps us swiftly identify the nominee and facilitates faster payouts as compared to the times when the information was stored physically. It has improved turnaround times and enabled delivery of superior service leading to higher customer satisfaction. Corporations can provide customers instant gratification. Today, we can issue a policy in minutes. Proliferation of technology has enabled corporations to identify customer needs and make offers best suited to their requirements.”

CIS will offer comments to the Srikrishna Committee. Abraham says such laws in other countries define what personal information is, establish the office of the regulator, have powers to receive and investigate complaints and ensure marketers fall in line. Regulators have punitive powers as well. In 2014, telecom major Verizon had to pay $7.4 million in the US to settle a Federal Communications Commission complaint about advertising to customers without letting them know they had an opt-out option. The privacy conditions one routinely “agrees” to online does not give the data controller a free ticket to do what they want with the information, he says.

Not much one can do

Abraham says there is very little the customer can do, other than “acts of civil disobedience, tell lies, fill out false information” when there’s little protection. Rana Gupta, Vice President – APAC, Identity and Data Protection, Gemalto, says one is not left with many choices in an increasingly digital world, not to mention the social pressure. Imagine asking for time off from work to withdraw some cash from your bank because you are suspicious of ATMs? “Users have to rely on organisations doing the right thing,” he says. Regulation making data encryption and second-factor authentication mandatory will help. Customers have begun to ask how data is being secured, and whether it is encrypted. Addressing such concerns would help businesses such as e-commerce and banks, which are increasingly dependent on an online presence.

Even though they’re painful to remember and key in, long passwords that include a capital letter, a special character and a number are deterrents to misuse, as are one-time passwords and messages that alert/ confirm users logging in to an account or transacting a deal. Rohan Bhargava, Co-founder of cashback and coupons site CashKaro.com, says businesses have to design the best methods to thwart the worst intentions. “Companies are vulnerable when they take short cuts at basic processes.”

Bhargava says his company prefers to build most of the technical products it needs, itself, rather than resort to third-party builders/providers. Marketers, he says, experiment with a lot of untested products and the scripts they use can be the root of the problem.

Checks and balances at every stage, running security reviews whenever something changes, effectively managing the life cycle of the encryption keys and limiting access to customer data are vital. The responsibility for securing data lies with both customer and marketer but the latter’s is the larger responsibility as it is they who implement and have the infrastructure that the user does not, says Gemalto’s Gupta.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/hindu-businessline-january-16-2018-sravanthi-challapalli-is-your-personal-information-under-lock-and-key

Internet Governance Forum Report 2017

Shweta Mohandas — 2018-01-11T02:13:07Z

The twelfth annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 17 to 21 December 2017, on the theme, Shape Your Digital Future!

The Centre for Internet and Society was invited as one of the participating civil society organisations. The meeting was attended by Sunil Abraham (Executive Director), Elonnai Hickok (Director) - Internet Governance and Vidushi Marda (representing both CIS as Programme Manager and ARTICLE 19 as Policy Advisor).

CIS members participated as speaker / panelists in the following sessions:

Human Rights based Cyber Security Strategy
Body as Data: Dataveillance, the Informatisation of the Body and Citizenship
What digital future for vulnerable people?
Benchmarking ICT companies on digital rights: How-to and lessons learned
CyberBRICS: Building the Next Generation Internet, STEP by Step
State-led interference in encrypted systems: a public debate on different policy approaches
Artificial Intelligence in Asia: What’s Similar? What’s Different? Findings from our AI workshops
Datafication and Social Justice: What Challenges for Internet Governance?
Fake news, Content Regulation and Platformization of the Web: A Global South Perspective

Full report here

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/internet-governance-forum-report-2017

Fixing Aadhaar: Security developers' task is to trim chances of data breach

sunil — 2018-01-10T16:47:59Z

The task before a security developer is not only to reduce the probability of identity breach but to eliminate certain occurrences.

The article was published in Business Standard on January 10, 2017

I feel no joy when my prophecies about digital identity systems come true. This is because from a Popperian perspective these are low-risk prophecies. I had said that that all centralised identity databases will be breached in the future. That may or may not happen within my lifetime so I can go to my grave without worries about being proven wrong. Therefore, the task before a security developer is not only to reduce the probability but more importantly to eliminate the possibility of certain occurrences.

The blame for fragility in digital identity systems today can be partially laid on a World Bank document titled “Ten Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development” which has contributed to the harmonisation of approaches across jurisdictions. Principle three says, “Establishing a robust — unique, secure, and accurate — identity”. The keyword here is “a”. Like The Lord of the Rings, the World Bank wants “one digital ID to rule them all”. For Indians, this approach must be epistemologically repugnant as ours is a land which has recognised the multiplicity of truth since ancient times.

In “Identities Research Project: Final Report” funded by Omidyar Network and published by Caribou Digital — the number one finding is “people have always had, and managed, multiple personal identities”. And the fourth finding is “people select and combine identity elements for transactions during the course of everyday life”. As researchers they have employed indirect language, for layman the key takeaway is a single national ID for all persons and all purposes is an ahistorical and unworkable solution.

Revoke all Aadhaar numbers that have been compromised, breached, leaked, illegally published or inadvertently disclosed and regenerate new global identifiers. Photo: Reuters

monoculture can be prevented. The traditional approach is followed in the US - you could have multiple documents that are accepted as valid ID. Or you could have multiple identity providers providing ID artifacts using an interoperable framework as they do in the UK. Another approach is tokenisation. The first time tokenisation was suggested in the Aadhaar context was in an academic paper published in August 2016 by Shweta Agrawal, Subhashis Banerjee and Subodh Sharma from IIT Delhi titled “Privacy and Security of Aadhaar: A Computer Science Perspective”.

Though I had spoken about tokenisation as a fix for Aadhaar earlier, I wrote about it for the first time on the 31st of March, 2017, in The Hindu. The steps would be required are as follows. First, revoke all Aadhaar numbers that have been compromised, breached, leaked, illegally published or inadvertently disclosed and regenerate new global identifiers aka Aadhaar Numbers. Second, reduce the number of KYC transactions by eliminating all use cases that don’t result in corresponding transparency or security benefits. For example, most developed economies don’t have KYC for mobile phone connections. Three, the UIDAI should issue only tokens to those government entities and private sector service providers that absolutely must have KYC. When the NATGRID wants to combine subsets of 20 different databases for up to 12 different intelligence/law enforcement agencies they will have to approach the UIDAI with the token or Aadhaar number of the suspect. The UIDAI will then be able to release corresponding tokens and/or the Aadhaar number to the NATGRID. Implementing tokenisation introduces both technical and institutional checks and balances in our surveillance systems.

On 25th of July 2017, UIDAI published the first document providing implementation details for tokenisation wherein KUAs and AUAs were asked to generate the tokens. But this approach assumed that KYC user agencies could be trusted. This is because the digital identity solution for the nation as conceived by Aadhaar architects is based on the problem statement of digital identity within a firm. Within a firm all internal entities can be trusted. But in a nation state you cannot make this assumption. Airtel, a KUA, diverted 190 crores of LPG subsidy to more than 30 lakh payment bank accounts that were opened without informed consent. Axis Bank Limited, Suvidha Infoserve (a business correspondent) and eMudhra (an e-sign provider or AUA) have been accused of using replay attacks to perform unauthorised transactions. In November last year, the UIDAI indicated to the media that they were working on the next version of tokenisation — this time called dummy numbers or virtual numbers. This work needs to be accelerated to mitigate some of the risks in the current system.

The paper in its fourth key recommendation says “cryptographically embed Aadhaar ID into Authentication User Agency (AUAs) and KYC User Agency (aka KUAs) — specific IDs making correlation impossible”. The paper considers several designs for such local identifier where — 1) no linking is possible, 2) only unidirectional linking is possible, and 3) bidirectional linking is possible referring to a similar scheme in the LSE identity report.Though I had spoken about tokenisation as a fix for Aadhaar earlier, I wrote about it for the first time on the 31st of March, 2017, in The Hindu. The steps would be required are as follows. First, revoke all Aadhaar numbers that have been compromised, breached, leaked, illegally published or inadvertently disclosed and regenerate new global identifiers aka Aadhaar Numbers. Second, reduce the number of KYC transactions by eliminating all use cases that don’t result in corresponding transparency or security benefits. For example, most developed economies don’t have KYC for mobile phone connections. Three, the UIDAI should issue only tokens to those government entities and private sector service providers that absolutely must have KYC. When the NATGRID wants to combine subsets of 20 different databases for up to 12 different intelligence/law enforcement agencies they will have to approach the UIDAI with the token or Aadhaar number of the suspect. The UIDAI will then be able to release corresponding tokens and/or the Aadhaar number to the NATGRID. Implementing tokenisation introduces both technical and institutional checks and balances in our surveillance systems.On 25th of July 2017, UIDAI published the first document providing implementation details for tokenisation wherein KUAs and AUAs were asked to generate the tokens. But this approach assumed that KYC user agencies could be trusted. This is because the digital identity solution for the nation as conceived by Aadhaar architects is based on the problem statement of digital identity within a firm. Within a firm all internal entities can be trusted. But in a nation state you cannot make this assumption. Airtel, a KUA, diverted 190 crores of LPG subsidy to more than 30 lakh payment bank accounts that were opened without informed consent. Axis Bank Limited, Suvidha Infoserve (a business correspondent) and eMudhra (an e-sign provider or AUA) have been accused of using replay attacks to perform unauthorised transactions. In November last year, the UIDAI indicated to the media that they were working on the next version of tokenisation — this time called dummy numbers or virtual numbers. This work needs to be accelerated to mitigate some of the risks in the current system.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/business-standard-sunil-abraham-january-10-fixing-aadhaar

UIDAI denies any breach of Aadhaar database

Admin — 2018-01-07T12:03:13Z

Personal data, including biometric information, of citizens safe and secure, says UIDAI on Aadhaar data breach.

The article by Komal Gupta was published by Livemint on January 7, 2018

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Thursday clarified that there has not been any breach in the Aadhaar database and the personal data of citizens, including biometric information, is safe and secure.

The clarification comes in response to a news report titled ‘Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to a billion Aadhaar details’ published in The Tribune on Thursday. The report claims that a WhatsApp group sold all Aadhaar data available with UIDAI for a sum of Rs. 500.

UIDAI maintained that the reported case appeared to be an instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility. As UIDAI maintains complete logs and traceability of the facility, legal action including lodging of FIR against the persons involved in the case is being undertaken. UIDAI maintained that the reported case appeared to be an instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility. As UIDAI maintains complete logs and traceability of the facility, legal action including lodging of FIR against the persons involved in the case is being undertaken. UIDAI clarified in a press statement that displayed demographic information cannot be misused; it would need to be paired with an individual’s biometrics.

There are more than 1.19 billion Aadhaar card holders in the country.

“If it is not a data breach, then this means that some people who have legitimate access to the data are selling it illegitimately. This poses a greater problem,” said Pranesh Prakash, policy director at the Centre for Internet and Society, a Bengaluru-based think tank.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/livemint-komal-gupta-january-7-2018-uidai-denies-any-breach-of-aadhaar-database

From net neutrality to IBC & Aadhaar, how Vidhi is framing key government legislation

Admin — 2018-01-04T14:45:59Z

It's not every day that a 30-something former Oxford academic disrupts the plans of the world's biggest disruptor.

The article by Surabhi Agarwal and Samanwaya Rautray was published in Economic Times on January 4, 2018.

But Arghya Sengupta is no pushover — his boyish charm perfectly couches confidence, clarity and commitment towards translating law for the layman. That alone helped Sengupta and his team from the Vidhi Centre of Legal Policy to take on none other than Facebook's Mark Zukerberg and his army of public policy wonks and spin doctors during the fiery net neutrality debate, helping the telecom regulator draft guidelines. Vidhi's intervention had a huge impact and led to Facebook's Free Basics programme being called off, changing the global narrative on net neutrality forever. That zeal continues.

Walk into their office in a plush Defence Colony bungalow even at 7 pm and you will feel the fervour. The day ET did, two colleagues were discussing interference in appointments to tribunals.

Judicial reforms is one of the many independent research projects Vidhi has been pursuing since it came into existence in December 2013. It has since carved out a significant role for itself in framing key government legislations — perhaps more than any legal think tank in India. In fact, several of Vidhi's independent research projects on public policy have led to commissioned assignments from the government as well as the judiciary.

The Game Begins

Vidhi's first government assignment had to do with the ministry of finance's Public Procurement Bill. Since then, it has assisted in framing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, the Aadhaar Act and amendments to the Companies Act. It has also helped in drafting differential pricing norms under net neutrality guidelines issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. It is currently working on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) and Data Protection Bills, and is also involved in deliberations over simplifying GST.

So how did this not-for-profit organisation manage such velocity? Sengupta, the 33-year-old founder of Vidhi, points to the void that exists between good legal research and framing of legislations in India. "A particular problem that exists within the governance framework is that good policy ideas don't often translate into good legislation because lawyers and policy makers don't talk to each other," he says to explain where Vidhi fits in. "There is nothing special about us...Policy and law is a new area and there are very few people doing high-quality work in it." Vidhi is mostly engaged directly by ministries or departments drafting a particular law, and not by the law ministry.

Sengupta, former faculty at Pembroke College in the UK, where he taught administrative law, emphasises that Vidhi does not draft laws, only assists in their drafting. "To some, we provide inputs and research, while for others we sit together to draft the legislation."

Their primary goal is to draft better law — and they have no competition. The only other organisation coming even close is NIPFP, providing sectorial services for government committees. In that sense, NIPFP doesn't have lawyers so they may not draft the law, says Sunil Abraham, executive director of Bengaluru-based think tank, Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). "Vidhi's efforts are pioneering and it's not surprising that they have become so successful. They are like that Mad Magazine tagline, number one in the field of one," he quips. "Other bodies such as Carnegie Mellon are vehicles for US MNCs to lobby but Vidhi doesn't have any foreign funding, so they are credible for the government," says Abraham, who was member of the Shah Committee when privacy principals were being drafted.

An Outsider Perspective

"Drafting of legislations requires a whole lot of research. Ten years ago, there weren't any institutions that did that kind of work," says Sumit Bose, Vidhi's current chairman. This retired bureaucrat was instrumental in getting Vidhi its first project as then finance secretary.

He was introduced to Sengupta through his daughter and son-in-law, a graduate of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. Although things are better now, Bose says, many states still don't have enough capacity for the research behind laws. "You need one foot in the door, and then it's up to you," says Sengupta, son of a teacher and banker in Kolkata.

In a system where the legislative department is typically engaged to draft laws, Vidhi has emerged as the "new interface" between policy and law-making, says its board member Arvind Datar, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court. "They have the unique ability to give an outsider's perspective to any area of law." Datar says Vidhi did extensive research for former Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi in debates on Aadhaar and the National Judicial Appointments Commission.

Other members on Vidhi's board include Star India chief executive Uday Shankar, strategic adviser Ireena Vittal and NLSIU associate professor Govindraj Hegde. A Union minister familiar with Vidhi's work offers an explanation as to why the government was roping it in. "It is about comfort as well as secrecy and they bring both," he says, asking not to be identified.

A top bureaucrat who has worked extensively with Vidhi says it is not a yes man, and this sets it apart. "Many times, they refuse to include our suggestions, telling us that it will not stand the scrutiny of court or it will not be proper from a legal standpoint," he explains, also requesting anonymity. "There is a lot of research that goes into drafting a legislation, be it pertaining to international best practices or previous judgements. Post a lot of internal discussions, these inputs are included."

Another government official says his department has a running advisory contract with Vidhi. "They are very young people with fresh ideas. They may not fight cases, but they do a lot of good table research, bringing up new legal points." Sengupta says not many organisations are doing similar work. "A lot of the work of this nature is done by universities."

Resistance to Change

Among the biggest reforms Vidhi has worked on are the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and Aadhaar Act, with GST being an ongoing task. Vidhi helped translate Aadhaar from an executive order to a statutory body. As for the IBC, Sengupta's assessment is that it was a reform 50 years late and essential for entrepreneurship to grow.

But what remains " Vidhi's single-most rewarding experience" is shepherding the net neutrality guidelines. "I think this government is very keen on systemic reforms. They have the appetite to change status quo," says Sengupta. Even so, some legislations Vidhi has been involved with face stiff resistance from citizen-activists.

Sengupta isn't perturbed. He distinctly outlines Vidhi's purpose and role in policymaking — advise the government to ensure that a law being drafted is constitutional, clear, takes into account international best practices and can be implemented effectively. "I believe all opposition is good because it makes everybody think. A lot of the opposition—be it to Aadhaar or to payment-related clauses in IBC —is to the concept," he says. "We didn't come up with the concept so we don't see it as a criticism of our work."

Early Opportunities

Vidhi began as an idea when Sengupta was a graduate student at Oxford University. Along with a lawyer friend, he began sending unsolicited legal input to the parliamentary standing committee looking into the controversial Indo-US Nuclear Liability Bill. To the duo's surprise, it was called to depose before the committee; later, the Department of Atomic Energy sought help with some sections. "We drafted 17 sections and of those, two became law... It was a great opportunity for us," says Sengupta.

This was followed by solicited and unsolicited work during 2010-12 on eight projects, including the Judicial Standards and Accountability, Prevention of Torture and Public Procurement Bills.

The think tank currently has about 40 employees and opened a second office in Bengaluru in August.

Sengupta credits Vidhi's early success to Ashok Ganguly, former chairman of Hindustan Lever (now Unilever) who was also a member of Parliament. In 2011, Ganguly was putting together a representation on policy paralysis and wanted help with research. Ganguly, who would become Vidhi's first chairman, put Sengupta in touch with several people, some of whom provided grant funding to get the think tank going. That did raise some eyebrows.

Conflict of Interest

As they spread their wings, the think tank received funding from the Mahindra Group, Pirojsha Godrej Foundat ion, Vikram Sarabhai Foundation, Jamsetji Tata Trusts, Gourab Banerji, Mohandas Pai and Rohini Nilekani. Verticals within Vidhi have separate funding. For instance, the unit working on the Judicial Reforms Bill is funded by a group called Dasra, which is a collective of philanthropists. And yet, Sengupta says "fund-raising is a constant challenge."

While government work does cover costs, it is not enough to sustain the organisation. Sengupta did not divulge how much Vidhi earns from a typical government project. Over half of the work that Vidhi does is independent research on topics ranging from clean air in Delhi to euthanasia and judicial reform.

Vidhi's fundraising, though, brings up a serious issue of possible conflict of interest, given its work on key legislations such as the Aadhaar Act while being funded by entities that could be affected directly or indirectly by those legislations. For example, Rohini Nilekani, is the wife of Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani, who funds Vidhi which not only assisted in drafting the Aadhaar Act but is now also involved with the Data Protection Bill that has key implications on the unique identity number.

Sengupta has also been called to argue in the landmark debate on whether privacy is a fundamental right — ignited after the Supreme Court received scores of petitions against Aadhaar — on request of the government's top lawyers arguing against it. Sanjay Hegde, senior Supreme Court advocate, says, "I see credibility issues when Sengupta argues in favour of Aadhaar in court in the privacy debate and, at the same time, is nominated on the Dr Srikrishna Committee, which is drafting the Data Protection Bill."

He adds, "In a city replete with think tanks and law firms, it would be interesting to see what percentage of government advisory work in terms of billing is cornered by this think tank alone."

Sengupta's defence is that Vidhi believes in transparency and doesn't accept foreign or retail funding. All funding-related information is detailed on its website, he argues. "People are free to make whatever judgement they wish to because conflict is one thing that cannot be eliminated," he says. "The moment you take funding from anybody, there will always be conflict. My answer to that is transparency."

IVY League Talent

What matters is that till date, such issues have not deterred the flow of best Ivy League talent into Vidhi. The founding team included Dhyani Mehta, who heads its environmental vertical; Devanshu Mukherjee, who leads its financial sector work and Alok Prasanna, who heads its Bengaluru office.

Prasanna, had earlier worked with solicitor general Mohan Parasaran's office in Delhi in high profile cases such as the government versus Vodafone and the government versus Reliance Industries. A few "fellows"— Sriboni Sen, Rukhmini Das (pursuing a PhD now) and Ketan Paul (now litigating) — though have moved on.

Yet others like Nikita Khaitan, who graduated from Yale University in the summer of 2016, have stepped in since June last year. Khaitan, who comes from the family of the Khaitan and Co law firm, heard about Vidhi from her cousins who went to the same law school as Sengupta. "Vidhi is one of the few staples where you can do quality work that is not litigation or corporate law," she says, on what clinched the decision for her to join Vidhi after Yale. "A lot of young people today want to return to India and do work which is high-impact." Now that's an argument no one can disagree with.

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/news/economic-times-surabhi-agarwal-and-samanwaya-rautray-from-net-neutrality-to-ibc-and-aadhaar-how-vidhi-is-framing-key-government-legislation

Roundtable on A.I. and Manufacturing and Services

Admin — 2018-01-18T13:44:15Z

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), Bangalore is organizing a roundtable on ‘A.I. and Manufacturing and Services’ on the 19th of January, 2018 from 2 to 5 pm at ‘The Energy and Resources Institute’ (TERI) Bangalore. The Roundtable seeks to discuss the various issues and challenges surrounding the implementation of AI and related technologies on manufacturing processes and services.

Since the Industrial Revolution machines have substituted human labour and helped industries save time and money. This was succeeded by the advent of computers and technology which helped in completing tasks with better speed and accuracy than the human brain. The emergence of machine-learning technology and artificial intelligence has now made machines capable of doing work that was earlier considered to be something that could only be done by humans. From the use of AI in understanding customer shopping trends to its use in making automobiles, AI is becoming more of a norm than an exception. The analytics of how customers shop is now helping companies forecast their manufacturing needs. The synergy of technology and machines i.e. smart manufacturing, not only changes manufacturing and shipping but also improves worker safety. Different forms of smart manufacturing are also starting to come up in India: Wipro and Infosys have launched AI platforms, and the Indian Institute of Science is developing a smart factory with support from Boeing Company and General Electric. Infosys has also released an AI platform, ‘Nia’, which is programmed to forecast revenue and understand customer behaviour.

The instances of use of machines to substitute human workforce, in some cases, has brought about a sense of worry. Recent trends in factory hiring show that jobs are being lost to automated forms of labour, further evidenced by a report from the research firm HorsesforSources, which predicts that India is set to lose 640,000 low-skilled job positions to automation by the year 2021.The IT sector in India is also under risk from the use of AI. Reports have also found that the rising unemployment in the IT sector has led to increased pressure on labour regulators.

Although there are some studies that state that the use of AI would bring about a market for people who would need to work along with AI, the FICCI and EY’s 2016 Report on the Future of jobs and its implication on Indian higher education suggests that one of the ways to combat the loss of jobs was reskilling and upskilling the labour force. India has taken the first step towards this by launching the National Skill Development Mission.

From the use of neural networks to monitor steel plants for packing and shipping groceries, the use of intelligent machines has begun disrupting traditional business models in the industry. However, these advancements raise questions around labour, ethics, liability, and machine-human cooperation. Dialogue and debate are needed to understand how AI is being used in manufacturing, the potential benefits, and challenges of the same, and a way forward that optimizes innovation and protects human rights.

Roundtable Agenda

Friday 19th January | 2:00 p.m - 5:00 p.m.

2:00 - 2:30 Introduction and setting the scene

2:30 - 3:30 Discussion on the AI landscape in the manufacturing and services industry:

Manner and extent of integration of AI into manufacturing and services
Relevant stakeholders and their roles in implementing AI in manufacturing and services
Future of AI and related technologies in AI in manufacturing and services
Impact on work and labour

3:30 - 4:30 Discussion on challenges and solutions towards regulating AI in India:

Challenges faced in the conception and implementation of the AI product/ service, and reasons for such challenges.
Regulatory provisions for implementation of AI in the manufacturing and services under the existing laws, and need for reforms.
Challenges posed by AI to existing policy and regulatory frameworks in the Indian as well as the global context, and possible solutions.

4.30 - 5.00 Conclusion and way forward

For more details visit https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/roundtable-on-ai-and-manufacturing-and-services