The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Sunday (29 May) withdrew an advisory issued by the Aadhaar agency which cautioned people to not share a photocopy of the document with entities such as hotels and cinema halls owing to the possibility of “misuse”. On Friday, UDAI conceded that your unique Aadhar card can be misused.

A ministry statement on Sunday said the advisory was withdrawn because it could be “misinterpreted”. The advisory was issued Friday by the regional office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in Bengaluru.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had earlier warned people to not share photocopies of their Aadhaar cards with any organisations citing its misuse.

On Sunday, while withdrawing the advisory, the ministry said Aadhaar holders are “advised to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing” their Aadhaar details, without elaborating on what “normal prudence” constitutes.

“Aadhaar identity authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features for protecting and safeguarding the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder,” the statement said.

It added that the advisory had cautioned against sharing Aadhaar details following an “attempt to misuse a photoshopped Aadhaar card”.

Earlier report:

The government’s Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has warned the citizens not to share or distribute photocopies of their Aadhaar cards with any organisation as they can be misused. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in a press release, stated, “Do not share photocopy of your Aadhaar with any organisations because it can be misused.”

The government has advised citizens use a ‘masked Aadhaar’ which displays only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number. It can be downloaded from UIDAI’s official website https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in. UDAI suggested selecting the option “Do you want a masked Aadhaar” before proceeding to download.

The statement says, “Please avoid using a public computer at an internet cafe/kiosk to download an e-Aadhaar. However, if you do so, please ensure that you delete all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently from that computer.”

The public release also revealed that “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 card. 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 valid User License from the UIDAI.”

The Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) 12-digit unique ID, Aadhaar, is now used pan India to carry out a number of operations including opening a bank account or investing in a government scheme. However handy the unique code is, there is always a chance of frauds and misuse. Masked Aadhaar ID has been issued by the UIDAI to add another layer of security.

What is masked Aadhaar?

According to UIDAI official website, “Mask Aadhaar option allows you to mask your Aadhaar number in your downloaded e-Aadhaar. Masked Aadhaar number implies replacing of first eight digits of Aadhaar number with some characters like “xxxx-xxxx” while only last four digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible.”  It is a legal way to download e-copies of your Aadhaar ID without the number being revealed.

Uses of masked Aadhaar

“Masked Aadhaar can be used for eKYC where sharing Aadhaar Number is not necessary. It only shows the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar. Select ‘Masked Aadhaar’ option while downloading your Aadhaar from: https://eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in,” the UIDAI had said on its Twitter handle.

  Aadhar, development, MeitY, UIDAI