Govt’s information wing cautions against sharing Aadhaar copy, retracts note 48 hours later

PIB's 27 May note had advised the general public not to share a photocopy of one’s Aadhaar with any unlicensed private entities.

Image for representation | Commons

Bengaluru: Sharing a copy of your Aadhaar with others is not safe, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a press note dated 27 May. Less than 48 hours later, the PIB has now issued a statement retracting an earlier note, asserting that it could be “misinterpreted”.

PIB is the nodal agency of the Government of India to disseminate information to the print and electronic media on government policies, programmes, initiatives and achievements. 

In its press note Sunday, PIB said the statement dated 27 May 2022 was issued by the regional office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in Bengaluru “in the context of an attempt to misuse a photoshopped Aadhaar card”.

According to information in the UIDAI website, as on 31 October 2021, the authority has issued 131.68 crore Aadhaar numbers to residents of India. Apart from being a preferred KYC document for availing various banking services, the 12-digit unique number is mandatory for passport applications or renewal, pension retrieval and provident fund (EPF) withdrawal, among other services.

“This notification is only a reiteration of what has been said in the past. It is being reminded again because there have been reports of Aadhaar being misused. People take it very casually and just share their Aadhaar with anyone. This notice is simply a reminder that Aadhaar should not be shared with just everyone,” an official with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) told ThePrint.

The government is trying to “increase” the use of Aadhaar, said a former employee of UIDAI, adding, “But when there are many cases of fraud being linked to Aadhaar in the media, then UIDAI must caution people to share their Aadhaar with care. Aadhaar should be treated as a sensitive private number”.

“The release advised the people to not to share photocopy of their Aadhaar with any organization because it can be misused. Alternatively, a masked Aadhaar which displays only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number, can be used. However, in view of the possibility of the misinterpretation of the Press Release, the same stands withdrawn with immediate effect,” read the statement issued by PIB on 29 May.

“Aadhaar card holders are only advised to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers. Aadhaar Identity Authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features for protecting and safeguarding the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder,” the statement added.

A clarification in this regard from PIB came after many took to social media to share instances similar to the ones mentioned in the earlier statement, titled ‘UIDAI cautions of sharing photocopy of Aadhar’.

Word of caution

On 27 May, a press statement issued in the name of PIB Thiruvananthapuram had “warned” the general public against “sharing photocopy of one’s Aadhaar with any organizations” to prevent its misuse.

“Unlicensed private entities like hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar card,” the statement said, adding that only those organisations that have obtained a “user license from the UIDAI” can use Aadhaar for establishing the identity of a person.

“Unlicensed private entities like hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar card. It is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016,” the statement had said.

The PIB note dated 27 may 2022 had also advised the “general public” not to use public computers such as the ones at internet cafés to download their e-Aadhaar. “However if one does so, it should be  ensured that all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently deleted from that computer,” the statement had said.

Citing the strongly-worded word of caution, many took to social media to recall how hotels and other establishments had in the past ‘wrongfully’ sought a copy of their Aadhaar.

“I might have stayed in almost a 100 hotels who kept a copy of my Aadhar !”, tweeted @_NairFYI. “Yep most hotels ask aadhar only and they conveniently take photo copy”, responded @JuminKamki

Yep most hotels ask aadhar only and they conveniently take photo copy

— Jumin Kamki (@JuminKamki) May 29, 2022

Another user responded, “There is no escape. May be we should write in bold letters over the photocopy, “for hotel reservations only” with date & time”.

There is no escape. May be we should write in bold letters over the photocopy, "for hotel reservations only" with date & time.

— Sanjay Hindi (संजय हिंदी)? (@UdtaDil) May 29, 2022

In the past, several instances have come to light of Aadhaar numbers and related biometric data being misused for fraudulent activity.

For instance, in May this year, a racket was busted in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior after it was found that members of this racket misused an Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AEPS) – that allows one to perform basic banking transactions through a correspondent – by cloning biometric data like thumb impressions to siphon off Rs 5 lakh from 23 people.

The accused were employees of a registered Common Services Center (CSC) which offers e-governance services, including digital payments via Aadhaar-enabled payments using biometrics.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)