Govt withdraws its recent ‘Aadhaar advisory', says exercise normal prudence

The central government has withdrawn with immediate effect its recent advisory that warned citizens not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar cards with any organisation as they can be misused. A statement issued on Sunday said that it was being done amid the possibility of its misinterpretation.

The government, in a press statement, said, “UIDAI issued Aadhaar card holders are only advised to exercise normal prudence in using and sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers.”

Also Read: What is Masked Aadhaar ID; how to use, download

“Aadhaar Identity Authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features for protecting and safeguarding the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder,” it added.

In the previous notification, issued on May 27, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has warned the citizens not to share or distribute photocopies of their Aadhaar cards with any organisation as they can be misused.

Also Read: UIDAI cautions citizens, says do not share Aadhaar photocopy with any organisation

The notification also asked citizens to use a masked Aadhaar which displays only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number and can be downloaded from UIDAI’s official website https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in.

UDAI added that the existence of any Aadhaar number can be verified at https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/verifyAadhaar.

The government also suggested citizens avoid using a public computer at an internet cafe or kiosk to download their e-Aadhaar. However if one still needs to do so, they must ensure to delete all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently from that computer.

"Unlicensed private entities like hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar cards. It is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016. If a private entity demands to see your Aadhaar card or seeks a photocopy of your Aadhaar card, please verify that they have a valid User License from the UIDAI," the release said.

“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. If a private entity demands to see your Aadhaar card, or seeks a photocopy of your Aadhaar card, please verify that they have valid User License from the UIDAI,” the advisory said.