SC raises concerns over data availability says, 'Aadhaar a gold mine of information'

"We are now in an area of information surveillance. The amount of commercial surveillance going on in this country is enormous. Today we stand on a weal track. We don't have a data protection law. You are in the process of enacting such a law," the Supreme Court said while hearing the Aadhaar matter.

The court said that it was concerned over the magnitude of information surveillance and also added that a gold mine of information and Aadhaar data of 1.3 billion people is available for commercial purposes.

In the absence of a robust data protection law, it is very difficult to stop such surveillance and sharing of information particularly by the data collecting and authentication entities, the court also said.

"Today commercial information of Aadhaar data which the requesting/authenticating entitles collect is itself a gold mine available for commercial purposes. Even little things we disclose for Aadhaar are available. Take the instance of Cambridge Analytica. The Facebook CEO Zuckerberg has given a statement before US Congress as to how people's data is shared."

"Today all information in Whatsapp or Facebook are commercially sensitive. Why should somebody intrude on my privacy and keep a tap over your conversation when I share a message with my wife. Our concern is it will affect a vast number of populations and the future generation and how are we going to lay down a law."