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Personal Data of a Billion Indians Sold Online For $8, Report Claims (theguardian.com)

Posted by msmash on from the security-woes dept.

Michael Safi, reporting for The Guardian: The personal information of more than a billion Indians stored in the world's largest biometric database can be bought online for less than $8, according to an investigation by an Indian newspaper. The reported breach is the latest in a series of alleged leaks from the Aadhaar database, which has been collecting the photographs, thumbprints, retina scans and other identifying details of every Indian citizen. The report in the Chandigarh-based Tribune newspaper claimed that software is also being sold online that can generate fake Aadhaar cards, an identity document that is required to access a growing number of government services including free meals and subsidised grain. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers the Aadhaar system, said it appeared the newspaper had accessed only limited details through a search facility that had been made available to government officials.

6 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Intel by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thanks Intel.

  2. Identity of a billion Indians worth only $8 by swb · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm trying to understand the price/value issue in play here.

    1. Re:Identity of a billion Indians worth only $8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Maybe you will glean some insight into why facebook, microsoft, google, et al are so in favor of the H1-B programme

    2. Re:Identity of a billion Indians worth only $8 by EvilSS · · Score: 2

      Probably supply vs demand. Either there isn't much demand for it, or it's way too easy to get from other sources to be valuable.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    3. Re:Identity of a billion Indians worth only $8 by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      I'm trying to understand the price/value issue in play here.

      Most likely the database is available from more than one seller, and competitive pressure is pushing the price down to near the marginal cost of providing the goods.

      This is indicative of a properly functioning free market.

  3. Re:A fine example. by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It isn't the security that is the problem, it is that we accept, blindly, that people are who they say they are. Until we assign fraud back to the lenders, credit providers, and the aggregators of such information, and not the individuals who are being spoofed by hacks such as this, we won't actually solve the problem.

    But this is done by design and will never change.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.