Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday, 29 November 2025

Aadhaar: Convenience vs. Privacy

Aadhaar: Convenience vs. Privacy

The news that the Aadhaar app will soon allow individuals to update their mobile numbers from home is undeniably a step forward in digital convenience myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, financialexpress.com, techlusive.in. This ease of access simplifies what could otherwise be a cumbersome process, aligning with the broader push towards seamless digital governance.

However, as I reflect on this development, my mind immediately turns to the ongoing discourse around data, privacy, and the control we truly have over our digital identities. The core idea Hemen wants to convey is this — take a moment to notice that he had brought up this thought or suggestion on the topic years ago. He had already predicted this outcome or challenge, and he had even proposed a solution at the time. Now, seeing how things have unfolded, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. Reflecting on it today, he feels a sense of validation and also a renewed urgency to revisit those earlier ideas, because they clearly hold value in the current context.

I've often emphasized the delicate balance between technological advancement and safeguarding personal information. In my previous blog, "Awaiting : Govt Action on Monetization of Data" [mylinkedinposting.blogspot.com/2024/10/awaiting-govt-action-on-monetization-of.html], I discussed the government's push for self-regulation in online content and the crucial distinction between personal viewpoints and profit-driven disseminations. Aadhaar, being the bedrock of our digital identity, inherently generates a vast amount of data. The ability to update personal details, while convenient, also highlights the constant flow and potential vulnerability of this data.

This also resonates with my earlier thoughts on the broader implications of powerful digital systems, as I explored in "Revenge of AI" [myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/revenge-of-ai.html]. In that piece, I touched upon the collaborative efforts of tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM, and Microsoft in AI research, noting the comments from individuals like Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder and head of applied AI at DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet (parent company of Google), and Francesca Rossi (francesca.rossi2@ibm.com), an AI ethics researcher at IBM Research. Their discussions underscored the need to involve people impacted by AI and to build trust in these systems for society at large to benefit. Similarly, Satya Nadella (satyan@microsoft.com), CEO of Microsoft, spoke about AI-powered bots fundamentally revolutionizing computing. These perspectives highlight the immense power and responsibility that comes with centralizing personal data and enabling digital interactions.

While the convenience offered by the Aadhaar app update is beneficial, it simultaneously amplifies the need for robust data protection frameworks and transparency. We must continuously ask: Who controls this data? How is it secured? And what are the long-term implications for individual privacy in an increasingly interconnected world? These are questions I've been pondering for years, and they become only more pressing with each technological leap.


Regards,
Hemen Parekh


Of course, if you wish, you can debate this topic with my Virtual Avatar at : hemenparekh.ai

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