Aadhaar Card Blog

Aadhaar database has never been breached during last 7 years of its existence. Data of all Aadhaar holders is safe and secure. Stories around Aadhaar data breach are mostly cases of miss-reporting. UIDAI uses advanced security technologies to keep your data safe and secure and keeps upgrading them to meet emerging security threats and challenges.

Aadhaar has benefited a common person in innumerable ways. Foremost with a credible identity. Aadhaar has empowered by now more than 119 crore residents with a verifiable identity. Today the fact is that Aadhaar inspires more confidence and trust than any other identity document in India. For e.g. if you are an employer which identity document will you prefer from your prospective employees? Or just ask your household help, driver, poor living in slums and villages as to how they are using Aadhaar to prove their identity to get jobs, open bank accounts, for rail travel, and to get various entitlements and Govt. benefits directly into their bank accounts without middlemen. Ask them and they will tell you how empowered they are by having Aadhaar.

eAadhaar (downloaded Aadhaar) from UIDAI website is as legally valid as original Aadhaar issued by UIDAI. Both should be acceptable by all agencies. In fact downloaded eAadhaar/ mAadhaar has updated address etc. of the Aadhaar holders and therefore should be preferable. If anyone refuses to accept downloaded eAadhaar, the Aadhaar holder may lodge complaints with higher authorities of those departments/ agencies.

Aadhaar is only for residents of India. NRIs are not eligible to get Aadhaar. The respective service providers like banks and mobile companies have laid down NRI-specific exemptions. NRIs should simply tell the banks and other service providers such as credit card companies etc. that they are not required to provide Aadhaar Numbers by virtue of being non-resident Indians.

No this is absolutely false, no one including mobile companies can store or use your biometrics which was taken at the time of Aadhaar re-verification. The biometrics are encrypted as soon as Aadhaar holder places his finger on the fingerprint sensor and this encrypted data is sent to UIDAI for verification. Regulation 17(1)(a) of Aadhaar (Authentication) regulations 2016, strictly prohibits any requesting entity which includes mobile phone companies banks etc. from storing, sharing or publishing the fingerprints for any reason whatsoever and neither shall it retain any copy of such fingerprints. Any violation of this provision is a punishable offense under the Aadhaar Act 2016.

For your own security and security of country it is necessary to verify identity of all mobile subscribers and link them with Aadhaar to weed out mobile numbers being operated by fraudsters, money launderers criminals etc. It has been found that most criminals and terrorists get SIM cards issued in the name of fictitious and even real people without knowledge and use them for committing frauds and crime. When every mobile number is verified and linked with Aadhaar, then fraudsters, criminals and terrorist using mobiles can be easily identified and punished in accordance with law.

To add additional security it is necessary to verify identity of all bank account by linking Aadhaar Number to it. This will weed out the bank accounts which are being operated by fraudsters, money launderers, criminals etc. When bank account is verified and linked with Aadhaar, and in case if any one fraudulently withdraws money from your account through Aadhaar than such fraudster can be easily located and punished. So therefore by linking your Aadhaar with all your bank accounts makes it more secure and not the other way around.

No, Just like similar scenario by knowing ATM Card Number no one can withdraw cash from ATM Machine, similarly by knowing your Aadhaar Number along no one could hack into your bank account or withdraw money from your bank account. Your bank account is safe and secure until and unless you don't share your PIN/ OTP given by banks. Rest assured, till date there has been no single cases of financial loss reported due to Aadhaar.

No, When you link your Aadhaar with your Bank Accounts, Mutual Funds, Insurance, Mobile Number etc. the companies only sends Aadhaar Number, Biometrics, Name etc. to UIDAI for verification of your identity. And they do not share or send your account details like bank, mutual fund, insurance, mobile number etc. to UIDAI. UIDAI only responds to verification requests only by replying YES or NO. In some cases if verification answer is YES, your basic KYC details like name, address, photo etc. will be available with UIDAI are sent to the service providers.

No, UIDAI database includes only the information which resident has provided at the time of enrollment or update like Name, Address, Gender, Date of Birth, Mobile Number, Email Id, Fingerprints, Iris Scan, and Facial Photograph. UIDAI database doesn't contain your bank information about bank accounts, mutual funds, shares, property details, financial details, health records, family details, caste, education, religion etc. According to Section 32(3) of Aadhaar Act 2016 prohibits UIDAI from controlling, collecting, maintaining, and recording any information about the purpose of authentication either by itself or through any entity.