The claims by the government on the safety of biometric data vis-á-vis Aadhaar sound unconvincing in the wake of the recent global malware attack (“India suffers no major damage from ransomware”, May 16). Even countries that are advanced are struggling to contain the damage. A chunk of Centrally-sponsored schemes are implemented using the Aadhaar route and the government is keen to expand this list. The cyber threat has wide implications, especially for pensioners, the poor, the elderly, and the not-so-Internet savvy. If their meagre life savings are siphoned off in a cyber scam or attack, will the government stand by them? How prepared is India to neutralise a cyberattack? Can the cyber safety of the average citizen be assured?
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Novi, Michigan, U.S.
The disruptions caused by the WannaCry ransomware attack should not stymie India’s ambitious plans of going digital. We must be aware of the fact that every technology can be disrupted or hacked. We need to follow safe practices and keep ourselves up to date with technological developments.
Suvan Sharma,
Jammu
