India's Supreme Court began hearing submissions Wednesday to determine whether Indians have a constitutional right to privacy in a challenge to the government's massive biometric database, which critics argue violates that right.

A group of plaintiffs brought the case to protest against the government's Aadhaar programme, which has recorded the fingerprints and iris scans of more than one billion Indians.

They argue that although the right to privacy is not explicitly set out in India's constitution, it nevertheless guarantees it implicitly.

"Our constitution gives us liberty to live life," Gopal Subramanium, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, argued before the court.

"Liberty existed even before the constitution was drafted and it includes privacy," he added.

"There cannot be a question of diminution but expansion of a right. Right to liberty includes freedom from encroachment on his or her privacy."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has rejected suggestions that the programme, set up in 2009, poses a threat to civil liberties.

The Aadhaar database was originally presented as a purely voluntary programme that offered to provide every Indian with an identity card.

In recent years however, it has become compulsory for a growing number of services, such as the opening of bank accounts, the payment of taxes and any payment of public money.

Its critics say that its use for what are effectively essential services means that Indians' right to privacy is being increasingly violated.

"If you have the same number in every single database, travel, phone, banking, then anyone sitting in the Home Ministry or intelligence bureaux will be able to pull out information on me," argued Reetika Khera, an economics professor at Delhi's Indian Institute of Technology.

"It will be a landmark case and it will be law for many many years to come. I think it is significative because privacy (is) at the root of every good democracy," she added.

The government will present its arguments on Thursday and the court's ruling could be handed down in the coming months.

Tweet

Out of the woods: Thai 'hermits' harness web to go global
Khon Kaen, Thailand July 17, 2017
From communing with forest spirits to whipping up love potions, Thailand's cave-dwelling hermits once conducted their supernatural endeavours with just ancient magic and ritual as their guide. But today's sorcerers are more connected than ever: armed with smart phones, Facebook profiles and business-savvy, a new crop of mystics are harnessing tech to cultivate followings across Asia. "Wo ... read more

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only