THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam has come under flak yet again for his controversial comments on disclosing personal information for Aadhaar. Mr Kannanthanam said Indians did not have any issue with standing "nude" before 'white people' for the US visa but the same people were creating a huge ruckus when asked about personal details by the Indian Government. Mr Kannanthanam made this controversial statement at the valedictory function of the first digital summit '#Future' at Kochi a few days ago.
Later when his statement snowballed into a major controversy with social media activists showing their ire against him for the weird comparison, Mr Kannanthanam met the media in Thiruvananthapuram. There, he remained firm on his earlier statement. Mr Kannanthanam recalled that while applying for his US visa, he had to fill in 10 pages. "We Indians don't have any qualms in providing our fingerprints or even to stand naked before the white people. But when the Indian Government asks about your personal details, you decline it," said a visibly upset Kannanthanam. He lamented that Indians would resort to protest citing that it was an invasion of their privacy.
The Minister came down heavily against the people behind Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm which combines data mining, data brokerage, and data analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process, who illegally obtained Facebook data to target US voters creating a political storm across the world. However, the present furore over the British data analysis firm interfering in Indian elections using Facebook data had not gone down well with a cross section of the people.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Namo App' was also not spared from breach of privacy. Significantly, netizens in huge numbers have asked Kannanthanam for the difference between 'coercion' and 'consent' for the comparison he made between applying for a US visa and in providing personal details towards Aadhaar. A few months ago, Kannanthanam had come under flak over his statement against beef.
