In News:
- The government has withdrawn the notification cautioning people against sharing a photocopy of their Aadhar card, claiming that it could be misinterpreted.
What’s in Today’s Article:
- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) – About, role & responsibilities, Composition
- News Summary
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
About
- UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”).
- It has been established under the administrative control of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- UIDAI was created to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as "Aadhaar", to all residents of India.
- As on 31st October 2021, the Authority has issued 131.68 crore Aadhaar numbers to the residents of India.
- It has its Headquarters (HQ) in New Delhi and eight Regional Offices (ROs) across the country.
- UIDAI has two Data Centres, one at Hebbal (Bengaluru), Karnataka and another at Manesar (Gurugram), Haryana
Role & Responsibilities
- Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for:
- Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of Aadhaar life cycle,
- developing the policy, procedure, and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and
- perform authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.
Composition of the Authority
- The Authority consists of two part-time Members and a Chief Executive Officer who shall be the Member-Secretary of the Authority.
- Chairman of the Authority is Vacant.
News Summary
- The government has withdrawn an UIDAI advisory that cautioned the general public against sharing photocopy of their Aadhaar with any organisation.
- The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) said it is withdrawing the press release as it can lead to misinterpretation.
What was the earlier notification?
- The earlier notification asked the general public not to share photocopy of one's Aadhaar with any organisation because it can be misused.
- It was issued by the Bengaluru Regional Office of the UIDAI.
- It further added that a masked Aadhaar, which displays only the last 4 digits of the biometric ID, can be used for the purpose.
- That notification also advised against using a public computer to download electronic versions of the Aadhar.
- Only those organisations with a ‘user licence’ from the UIDAI could use Aadhar for establishing a person’s identity.
- Hotels and cinema halls weren’t authorised to collect photocopies of Aadhar.
UIDAI stand on sharing the Card details
- UIDAI, on multiple occasions, had publicly stated that Aadhar details, without biometric information, couldn’t be used to impersonate a person.
- However, it should be remembered that Aadhar is a document that detailed a person’s personal information.
- Hence, it was akin to giving out a mobile phone number, or a bank account number or a PAN card and ought to be “ordinarily protected” to ensure a person’s privacy.
- In 2018, UIDAI tweeted that Aadhar as an identity document by its very nature needs to be shared openly with others as and when required for.
- On the other hand, in November 2016, UIDAI from its official handle tweeted:
- We urge you to be very discreet about your Aadhar and other identity documents.
- Do not share the document no. or a printed copy with anyone.
Notification withdrawn
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the parent body of the UIDAI, issued a statement withdrawing the notification of UIDAI.
- It said that the UIDAI had advised Aadhaar card holders to only exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their Aadhaar numbers.
- UIDAI had issued the notification in the context of an attempt to misuse an Aadhar card using a photocopy.
- Aadhaar Identity Authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features for protecting and safeguarding the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder.
