Universal ID cards. A threat to privacy

I’ve recently been looking at the governments proposals to bring out a universal ID card for everyone. They call it an Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC). I was quite horrified by the idea, and am attaching a copy of a letter I have sent to a person who wrote an article in the Indian Express regarding this:

Dear Mr/Mrs Mehmood,

Would you be aware of the legal status regarding such ID cards when it comes to invasion of privacy? Knowing the Indian people, no one is likely to challenge the government on this issue, specially considering the fact that hardly anyone is aware of the dangers.

The right to privacy has never come up explicitly in our country. With other pressing problems on the table, this right is never even considered. Without a knowledge of how such cards can be misused, as seen in Fascist Germany, no one is likely to perceive the dangers.

But it’s more than that. Even if they are not misused, as a natural citizen of this country, why do I need to prove myself to anyone? I can understand a license to drive, since it deals with skills that need to be acquired. But I refuse to produce a document showing that I have a right to just live.

I understand that the card will carry things like identification marks, and address. Am I some object to have identification marks, or am I a number? I don’t want to be tracked. I don’t want the government to know when I transact. I’ve done nothing illegal. Just because I have nothing to hide doesn’t mean that what I do is anyone’s business but mine. Supposing I don’t have a permanent place of residence, and keep moving from place to place on a whim? What address will I have on my card? Why should I tell anyone my marital status? It’ s personal. We’re on the verge of a police state.

I’d like to know if there is any organized resistance to such a scheme, or is the opposition limited to just writing articles? Our government has not the slightest idea of what a free country is, and what principles it should be run on. Completely ignorant of history, left to themselves, our politicians will ruin all we fought for.

Once more I ask, is there a concerted legal resistance to such a scheme? Thank you for your time.

Yours Sincerely

Bhagwad Jal Park