So far, despite all the skepticism about a centralized database with the entire country’s biometrics, Nandan Nilekani’s obvious expertise ensured he had a smooth sail. He answered all critics head on and argued that the Aadhar biometric database he was creating could not be abused because it couldn’t be queried—so, for instance, it wouldn’t have any information on the caste or income of person X, but would just be able to say if a fingerprint belonged to X; it was only a means to establish identity, nothing else.
Source:FE Editorial: Hope floats