The Jana Aragala Sandhanaya (the Peoples’ Struggle Alliance [PSA] Movement) observed that purportedly entrusting an Indian company with the power to issue digital identity (IDs) cards to Sri Lankan citizens through a related agreement would pose an inevitable danger to democratic rights, national security, public safety and security, the State economy, and the sovereignty of the State and its people.
In a letter addressed to Parliamentarians on Indian involvement in the digital identity card, Member of the National Executive Committee of the PSA, Wasantha Mudalige cited media reports quoting Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath to the purported effect that according to an agreement entered into during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's Indian State tour, the power to issue digital identity cards to Sri Lankan citizens will be entrusted to an Indian company, and that the Government will finalise the memorandum of understanding between the two parties regarding this agreement this month (January).
The Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Act, No. 25 of 2017, according to the Information Communication Technology Agency website facilitates the use of biometrics (include fingerprints, facial data, and retinal data) based authentication technologies to ensure the effectiveness of digital certificates and other forms of digital identity cards.
“According to the existing law, the Government cannot obtain a person's biometric data. An institution or government body must receive an extraordinary court ruling or order to obtain such biometric data of a person. The database connected with digital identity cards integrates all citizens' data. According to the current legal basis, information about the citizen is obtained from each Government agency only based on that agency's specific needs. If one organisation wants to obtain the information held by another, it requires the approval of the concerned person or the court. Now, India is trying to acquire all the biometric characteristics of the people of Sri Lanka under the guise of an identity card tender. It is a massive risk for a country to give away its people's information and data to another foreign country. A nation can be subjugated even just by another country acquiring the information of its people. India is making that strategic intervention in Sri Lanka today. Given this, the public safety of the people of Sri Lanka is at grave risk,” the letter alleged, calling on MPs to present to the Parliament a proposal to revoke the decision to hand over digital identity card related work to an Indian company and to instead approve necessary measures for a new identity card project that protects the democratic rights of the people.