Once again Aadhaar, India’s biometric identification system, is in the eye of a storm after a report in Tribune India claimed how the entire data of 1 billion Indians could be accessed, or purchased, for just Rs 500 to a third-party claiming to offer the service.
Following the report, which has raised concerns, the Unique Identification Authority of India has issued a denial that no such data breach took place and insisted that all “Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure.”
According to the Tribune report, third-party sellers operating on WhatsApp are selling access to the entire database of Aadhaar. The report claims these sellers created a gateway and a login access for The Tribune reporter, who was able to enter Aadhaar number of any individual and get all details, including the photo, address, name, date of birth, etc. The report also claims they paid another Rs 300 to get access to a software to print the entire Aadhaar card itself. Indianexpress.comcannot independently verify the authenticity of the report.
In response, the UIDAI, in a statement, said: “UIDAI has given the said search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to the designated personnel and state government officials to help residents only by entering their Aadhaar number/EID. UIDAI maintains complete log and traceability of the facility and any misuse can be traced and appropriate action is taken.”
The Aadhaar authority might have denied a data breach per se, say like the one where cybercriminals gain unlawful access to the Aadhaar database. However, the statement adds that this particular case reported by the Tribune “appears to be an instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility.” So, yes, UIDAI has a search facility for the entire Aadhaar database, which is only supposed to be accessed by authorized personnel.
A person can go to http://resident.uidai.gov.in/biometric-lock and enter their Aadhaar ID; a security code appears on the screen and an OTP thereafter comes to their mobile number. Once logged in, just toggle on for lock biometric. Remember, if you do this you will not be able to use your fingerprint to authenticate any eKYC transaction that uses biometrics.
The mobile number has to be the one registered with UIDAI to get the OTP, else you will be unable to carry out this step. If you need to update your mobile number linked with Aadhaar, then you will have to go an Aadhaar center with the required documents and proof for the same. This step cannot be carried out online.
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