Government warns, do not use photocopy of Aadhaar, masked Aadhaar is the right option


The Government of India has withdrawn the advisory of UIDAI, in which the general public was asked to share photocopies of their Aadhaar with any organization. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) said it is withdrawing the press release as it may lead to misinterpretation.

The government advised people not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar with any organization as it could be misused. Alternatively, they can use a masked Aadhaar which shows only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number.

The statement said that in view of the possibility of the press release being ulterior motive, it is withdrawn immediately. MeitY said in the withdrawal statement that Aadhaar card holders issued by UIDAI are advised to exercise prudence to use and share only their Aadhaar number. The statement said that ‘the Aadhaar Identity Authentication System has provided appropriate features for the security and protection of the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar card holder’.

The Aadhaar card contains a unique number linked to a person’s fingerprints, face and eye scans, aimed at preventing theft and mistakes in India’s welfare schemes. But critics fear it could open a new form of piracy.

In a press release issued by the Bangalore Regional Office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday, the general public was asked not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar with any organization as it could be misused. Alternatively a masked Aadhaar can be used which shows only the last 4 digits of the biometric ID. The initial release said that ‘unlicensed private entities such as hotels or movie halls are not allowed to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar cards’.

The warning took over social media, as the press release and news went viral, with the issue among the top 10 trending topics in India on Twitter on Sunday. India’s Supreme Court upheld the validity of Aadhaar in 2018, but raised concerns over privacy and pushed the government to make it mandatory for everything from banking to telecom services.

Leave a Comment