NEW DELHI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issued an advisory warning against giving photocopies of Aadhaar to organizations and pointed to the possibility of misuse.
As an alternative, the notice recommended using “masked Aadhaar”, which only shows the last 4 digits of the 12-digit Aadhaar number. Masked Aadhaar can be downloaded from https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.
It also advised against using a public computer to download Aadhaar.
“Please avoid using a public computer in an internet café/kiosk to download an e-Aadhaar. However, if you do so, please ensure that you permanently delete any downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar from this computer,” the press release reads.
“Only organizations that have received a user license from UIDAI can use Aadhaar to determine an individual’s identity. Unlicensed private entities such as hotels or cinemas are not permitted to collect or keep copies of the Aadhaar Card Aadhaar Act 2016. If a private entity requests inspection of the Aadhaar Card or requests a photocopy of the Aadhaar Card please ensure that they has a valid user license from UIDAI,” the statement continues.
As an alternative, the notice recommended using “masked Aadhaar”, which only shows the last 4 digits of the 12-digit Aadhaar number. Masked Aadhaar can be downloaded from https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.
It also advised against using a public computer to download Aadhaar.
“Please avoid using a public computer in an internet café/kiosk to download an e-Aadhaar. However, if you do so, please ensure that you permanently delete any downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar from this computer,” the press release reads.
“Only organizations that have received a user license from UIDAI can use Aadhaar to determine an individual’s identity. Unlicensed private entities such as hotels or cinemas are not permitted to collect or keep copies of the Aadhaar Card Aadhaar Act 2016. If a private entity requests inspection of the Aadhaar Card or requests a photocopy of the Aadhaar Card please ensure that they has a valid user license from UIDAI,” the statement continues.
The existence of an Aadhaar number can be verified at https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/verifyAadhaar. To verify offline, one can scan the QR code on eAadhaar or the Aadhaar letter or Aadhaar PVC card with a QR code scanner in mAadhaar’s mobile application, UIDAI said.
(With contributions from agencies)
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