Snowden Joins Outcry Against World's Biggest Biometric Database
- Says India must reform policies to protect privacy of citizens
- India top court to start hearings on Aadhaar legality Jan. 17
Edward Snowden
Photographer: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
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Former U.S. intelligence-contractor-turned whistleblower Edward Snowden joined critics of India’s digital ID program as the nation’s top court is due to decide on its legality.
Snowden on Tuesday tweeted in support of an Indian journalist who faces police charges after she reported that personal details of over a billion citizens enrolled in the program could be illegally accessed for just $8 paid through a digital wallet. Named Aadhaar, the program is backed by the world’s biggest biometric database, which its operator Unique Identification Authority of India, or UIDAI, says wasn’t breached.