Those who protest against Aadhaar, the 12-digit biometric identification number, due to privacy concerns and risk of data theft, may have missed the elephant in the room — the smartphone. Indians run a bigger risk of data theft and loss of privacy through their smartphones.

India's former union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has flagged this concern which does not evoke enough debate. Mehrishi, who retired as Union Home Secretary on Thursday, told a parliamentary panel last month tha ..