JOIN USAadhaar database safe and secure, says UIDAI
The government on Sunday reiterated that Aadhaar-based authentication is “fully safe and secure”.
In a statement, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said, “There has been no incident of misuse of Aadhaar biometrics leading to identity theft and financial loss, when more than Rs 400 crore Aadhaar-authenticated transactions took place during the last five years.” The government clarification comes in the wake of a media report which said that a private entity is in possession of the Aadhaar biometric data and it is likely to misuse it. The government also said that the subsidy transfers linked to Aadhaar have led the exchequer to save Rs 49,000 crore in the last two and half years.
The government is trying to instil confidence in the public about the system, as the Ministry of Information Technology plans to roll out an Aadhaar-based payment programme soon, by way of which people will be able to make payment through their thumb impressions.
Referring to a recent incident of misuse of the biometric system, the authority said that it was an isolated case. The misuse was detected by the UIDAI internal security system and subsequently action under the Aadhaar Act was initiated, a statement said.
Responding to media reports about the on-boarding of ecosystem partners, the UIDAI said the regulations under the Aadhaar Act strictly oversee the on-boarding.
The authority said that there will also be regulation with respect to the data-sharing restrictions imposed on the companies which will use the information.
“Aadhaar is an important tool for good governance and the empowerment of people, and has helped more than 4.47 crore people open bank accounts through the Aadhaar e-KYC,” the statement said.