Explained: Securing your Aadhaar data | Explained News,The Indian Express
A warning by the UIDAI, later withdrawn, urged the public not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar with anyone as it may be misused. How safe is your Aadhaar data, and what can you do to prevent misuse?
Does sharing a photocopy of your Aadhaar card pose a security risk and open it up for misuse? That’s the question raised after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) first issued a warning to the public not to share a photocopy of their Aadhaar with any organisation, and then withdrew the warning over worries that it was open to “misinterpretation”.
What was the UIDAI’s initial warning?
The UIDAI, the statutory body mandated to collect Aadhaar data, issued the first press release on May 27, warning the “general public not to share photocopy of one’s Aadhaar with any organisation, because it can be misused”. Instead, it recommended that “a masked Aadhaar, which displays only the last four digits of your Aadhaar number,” be used for such purposes.
It also asked the public to avoid using public computers to download their e-Aadhaar. If they did so, it reminded them that they should ensure that any downloaded copies of the same are “permanently deleted from that computer.”
The press release said “only those organisations that have obtained a User License from the UIDAI can use Aadhaar to establish the identity of a person.” It added that “hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar card,” stating that “it is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016.”
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