Legal researcher and activist Dr Usha Ramanathan has been declared a "human rights hero" by the international rights group Access Now for her criticism of the Aadhaar programme. Ramanathan has been raising security and privacy risks associated with Aadhaar since the scheme was launched in 2009. Access Now said Dr Ramanathan was one of the "leading critics of Aadhaar” who has "tirelessly challenged” the controversial programme. While selecting her for the award, Access Now said it also wanted to recognise “the entire community that has protested and litigated against Aadhaar”. The award function will be held in Tunis between June 11 and 14, as a part of RightsCon, Access Now’s annual human rights and technology conference. The awards will be handed out by Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. https://twitter.com/accessnow/status/1137698488110788608 While announcing the award, Access Now said, “In September 2018, the Supreme Court in India ruled Aadhaar could not be mandatory for several purposes, and it could not be required by private companies. Afterward, Dr. Ramanathan worked to explain the ramifications of the judgment and its disappointing limitations. She continues to speak out against the Aadhaar program.” Access Now said the award is “in celebration of … the work of people around the globe to protect human rights in the digital age”. Every year, it names "heroes” and "villains” who have either protected the principles of freedom online, or worked to undermine them. The other winners for 2018 are Bahraini digital security trainer Mohammed al-Maskati, Australian…
