American whistleblower Edward Snowden on Tuesday came out in support of the The Tribune newspaper and its reporter Rachna Khaira after an…
Edward Snowden. (Photo: Twitter)
American whistleblower Edward Snowden on Tuesday came out in support of the The Tribune newspaper and its reporter Rachna Khaira after an FIR was registered against them for their news report on Aadhaar data breach.
Former United States government contractor, in a tweet wrote: “The journalists exposing the #Aadhaar breach deserve an award, not an investigation. If the government were truly concerned for justice, they would be reforming the policies that destroyed the privacy of a billion Indians. Want to arrest those responsible? They are called @UIDAI.”
The journalists exposing the #Aadhaar breach deserve an award, not an investigation. If the government were truly concerned for justice, they would be reforming the policies that destroyed the privacy of a billion Indians. Want to arrest those responsible? They are called @UIDAI. https://t.co/xyewbK2WO2
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— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 8, 2018
The Deputy Director of the UIDAI has lodged an FIR with the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch under IPC sections 419 (cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and also under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act.
Former CIA employee, Edward Snowden also shared a post by Editor-in-Chief of the The Tribune newspaper, Harish Khare.
The #Tribune Editor-in-Chief’s statement on #Aadhaar #FIR pic.twitter.com/Mjmr5HK8Mb
— The Tribune (@thetribunechd) January 7, 2018
Snowden, a CIA employee who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013 on global surveillance, has been advocating privacy rights since then.
Earlier on Monday, Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said the Central government is fully committed to media freedom.
“The government is fully committed to freedom of the press as well as to maintaining security and sanctity of Aadhaar for India’s development,” Prasad tweeted a day after various press bodies condemned the lodging of an FIR against a Tribune reporter who exposed Aadhaar data’s vulnerability.
“The FIR is against unknown (people). I’ve suggested UIDAI to request The Tribune and its journalist to give all assistance to police in investigating the real offenders.”
(With agency inputs)
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