Is UIDAI snooping? Give us proof in two weeks, SC tells TMC MLA

New Delhi, Nov 22: The Supreme Court has directed TMC, MLA, Mahua Moutra to show in two weeks what material she had to fear surveillance by the UIDAI.

She had challenged the UIDAI's proposal to create social media apparatus while alleging that it was aimed at launching surveillance on citizens. The court asked her to show in two weeks the material she had to fear such surveillance.

Moitra had alleged that the move of hiring a social media monitoring agency was aimed at "mounting surveillance on social media platforms".

Her plea said the UIDAI, as per its bid document, was seeking to hire a social media agency that will employ 'online reputation management' and 'social listening' tools to monitor and influence conversations related to Aadhaar on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

"Such action of the government violates her right of privacy. The scope of work of the Social Media Agency intended to be selected through the impugned request for proposal (RFP) is in the teeth of the judgment laid down by this court in KS Puttaswamy case, wherein a bench of nine judges of this court recognised privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution," the plea said.

The petition claimed that the aim of employing a "Social Listening Tool" by the UIDAI's social media agency in accordance with the RFP, on the pretext of raising awareness about Aadhaar, was nothing but an attempt to "overreach the jurisdiction" of the apex court.