Moneylife Foundation Event Update: UID/Aadhaar: Can fingerprints be faked?

Moneylife Digital Team 12 January 2013

JT D’souza, who has been trained at Canon, Japan, on design of computerised test systems for facsimile and photocopiers, showed how fingerprints can be faked at the Moneylife Foundation seminar on 12 January 2013

At the Moneylife Foundation seminar conducted at Royal Bombay Yacht Club, Jude Terrence D’souza, a Mumbai-based forensic expert, showed to the full house of audience on how UID/Aadhaar can be undermined by faking of fingerprints. Mr D’souza showed a demo on how pre-spoofed prints made from wax and Fevicol can be accepted as valid fingerprints. After watching the demo, audience must have wondered if the entire UID project is a non-starter.

According to Mr D’souza, it is extremely easy to forge fingerprints and fool biometric devices. By their very nature, convergence creates an automatic privacy subverting infrastructure and concentrates power in the hands of those controlling the technology. Mr D’souza says that the UIDAI has not only multiplied this danger, but unknowingly introduced massive vulnerabilities in the processes of creating and establishing identity. Earlier in the session, he gave a short introduction to fingerprint and iris biometrics. He explained the intrinsic and extrinsic flaws inherent in biometrics.

During the first session, Col (retd) Mathew Thomas explained the effort to promote “cash transfers” using UID/Aadhaar and what this means to the bank customers. UID/Aadhaar is a scheme promoted to eliminate corruption in welfare schemes so that the poor have access to welfare, but Col Thomas exposed some of the more pernicious side of the UID scheme along with the deceit in the utterances and actions of UIDAI and the Government.

The UK government had scrapped the National ID Card Act of that country. They have the problems of terrorism and illegal immigration, for which the Blair government thought that a biometric national ID card system was the answer. They passed the Act, appointed contractors and went ahead. The new government scrapped the Act and the project. In doing so, the UK government said, “We propose to do government business as servants of the people, not their masters”.

Comments

User

Nikita

1 decade ago

Gives me yet another reason to not apply for this card. I hope I'm not forced to apply for it as the government I believe has already made it compulsory now. Probably, the whole system will fail by the time I make up my mind to go for it!

Ram Das

1 decade ago

I noticed that Moneylife deleted Mukesh Kamath comment soon after it was posted. Mr. Kamath provided counterpoints and factual evidence as rebuttal to Thomas' views. There was nothing offensive, inaccurate or derogative to Mr. Kamath's comments. There is no point in posting comments if Money life can not respect basic right of the readers.
lease put back Mr. Kamath's comment.

Mathew Thomas

Replied to Ram Das comment 1 decade ago

I have replied at length to Mukesh Kamath's posting. Please read that. 'Money Life' has bot "removed" it, as you allege. If your aim was to sling mud, hoping some of it will stick, that is a forlorn hope.

Sucheta Dalal

Replied to Ram Das comment 1 decade ago

You are so dubious. You reveal the fact that you are working with UIDAI contractors and clearly colluding with whoever Mukesh Kamath is. Why dont you check the correct article before making vile and dubious allegations.

Nothing exposes your motives more than this. So please find some other place to post your tainted views. Certainly not required on Moneylife.

Sucheta Dalal

Replied to Ram Das comment 1 decade ago

240p FLV

Replied to Sucheta Dalal comment 1 decade ago

These Aadhar people are bunch of paranoid lunatics. As usual wrong. But then:
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his income depends upon his not understanding it!" - Upton Sinclair