NEW DELHI, May 29: Two days after the Bengaluru regional office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) advising people not to share their Aadhaar card details with private entities for apprehension of these being misused, the centre on Sunday issued a press advisory withdrawing the UIDAI order and advising people to “use normal prudence” in sharing their 12-digit Aadhaar card with others.
The press release issued by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on Sunday said: “This is in pursuant of the Press Release dated 27 May 2022 by the Bengaluru Regional Office, UIDAI. It is learnt that it was issued by them in the context of an attempt to misuse a photoshopped Aadhaar card. The release advised the people to not to share photocopy of their Aadhaar with any organization because it can be misused. Alternatively, a masked Aadhaar which displays only the last 4 digits of Aadhaar number, can be used.”
“However, in view of the possibility of the misinterpretation of the Press Release, the same stands withdrawn with immediate effect,” it added. “Aadhaar Identity Authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features for protecting and safeguarding the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder.”
The new statement said the Aadhaar ecosystem had adequate features to protect the identity and privacy of users, and that users are only advised to exercise “normal prudence.” A masked Aadhaar which displays only the last four digits of the Aadhaar number can be downloaded from the official website by selecting the “Do you want a masked Aadhaar” option, it said.
UIDAI also advised stopping using public computers to download an e-Aadhaar. “However if one does so, it should be ensured that all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently deleted from that computer,” it said. Only those organisations that have obtained a User License from the UIDAI can use Aadhaar for establishing the identity of a person. Unlicensed private entities like hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar cards. It is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016.
“If a private entity demands to see your Aadhaar card or seeks a photocopy of your Aadhaar card, please verify that they have a valid User License from the UIDAI,” it added.
(Manas Dasgupta)