Aadhaar body, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a new method to secure biometric details of the citizens.
The move by the authority came after the reports in media surfaced claiming that personal data of millions of Aadhaar users could be easily accessed by breaching into the system.
According to the newspaper the Tribune, the details of the 12-digit unique identification number is easily accessible.
The paper said that its reporter purchased a service by anonymous sellers over WhatsApp. The reporter paid Rs 500 via Paytm to an agent. Within 10 minutes the agent gave a login ID and password, thus giving unrestricted access to details of over 1 billion Aadhaar numbers.
The report further stated that by paying another Rs 300, the agent provided “software” to the undercover reporter which could facilitate the printing of the Aadhaar card. However, UIDAI denied the reports and assured citizens that the system is completely safe.
And to put a permanent stop to the rumours, UIDAI launched a the concept of a temporary, 16-digit Virtual ID (VID) that can be used by Aadhaar holders for authentication purposes.
We have explained below it’s usage and how will it be beneficial to the users:
The Virtual ID, which would be consisted of a 16-digit number, together with biometrics of the user would provide restricted details like name, address and photograph, for any kind of verification. As linking of Aadhaar to PAN card, social welfare and other schemes has become mandatory, users can also give their VID for authentication, till the time linking is not being done. The Virtual ID will give the users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication.
VID will be a temporary ID, which could be revoked. According to the UIDAI. “Last digit of the VID is the checksum using ‘Verhoeff’ algorithm as in Aadhaar number. There will be only one active and valid VID for an Aadhaar number at any given time.” t
“VID, by design being temporary, cannot be used by agencies for re-duplication. VID is revocable and can be replaced by a new one by Aadhaar number holder after the minimum validity period set by UIDAI policy,” the authority added.
The UIDAI will start accepting VID from March 1, 2018. From June 1, 2018 it will be compulsory for all agencies that undertake authentication to accept Virtual ID from their users, UIDAI said.
The UIDAI has also introduced the concept of ‘limited KYC’ under which it will only provide need-based or limited details of a user to an authorised agency that is providing a particular service, say, a telecom operator.
Meanwhile, taking a dig at the newly launched Aadhaar Virtual ID, former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram said that the new security layer is like locking the stable after horses have bolted.
“Under compulsion, millions of persons have already shared Aadhaar number with many service providers. The new security layer is like locking the stable after horses have bolted,” Chidambaram tweeted on Thursday morning.