Do not share Photocopy of your Adhaar Card to anyone, Government advises to be prudent while doing so

The Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has issued a clarification with regards to the advisory issued by the UIDAI on 29th May, 2022, which reads, it is learnt that it was issued by them in context of an attempt to misuse a photoshopped Aadhaar card. The release advised that people must not share a photocopy of their Aadhaar card with any organization because it might be misused. Alternatively, a masked Aadhaar which displays only the last 4 digits of Aadhaar number, can be used.

However, in view of the possibility of Misinterpretation of the Press Release, the same stands withdrawn from the immediate effect.

UIDAI issued statement that, Aadhaar card holders are only advised to exercise normal prudence in using as well as sharing their UIDAI Aadhaar numbers.

Aadhaar identity Authentication ecosystem has provided adequate features in order to protect as well as safeguard the identity and privacy of the Aadhaar holder.

The Indian Government has issued an order, wherein it is asking people to stop sharing their photocopy of their Aadhaar card with any individual, including all organizations. The order Primarily states that sharing or distributing photocopy of your Aadhaar card may be misused by individual. As per the statement from the Unique identification Authority of India*UDAI) in press Release. Do not share photocopy of your Aadhaar with any organization because it can be misused.

The statement from the Ministry of Electronics & information Technology also wishes individuals must be smart while sharing the Aadhaar card for verification process or for documentation process. The release also suggest that people must avoid downloading the Aadhaar copies from the public computers, available at the cyber cafes. Still If you wish to use this method to copy of your Aadhaar, then you must make sure to delete all the e-copies from the system, including the recycle bin.

Apart from warning people from misuse of Aadhaar copies, the MeitY Order also has a word of caution for entities that is involved in use of Aadhaar for varied purposes. It wishes to make sure that organization having relevant licenses use Aadhaar for identifying a individual and they have got the user License from the UDAI to do so.

Varied other places such as hotels and movie halls, it has been restricted from collecting and keeping copies of Aadhaar card. And if they tend to indulge in such practices, it is an definitely offence under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

How to share your Aadhaar card?

The press release advices individuals of the nation to use the masked Aadhaar card, which only gives you the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar Number. Anyone with a legitimate Aadhaar number can download it from the official website of the UIDAI. Before you download the copy of your Aadhaar card, you can also select " Do you wish to have an masked Aadhaar option.

In varied instances, the UIDAI has also talked about a secure way of verifying any aadhaar number. You can head over to https://Myaadhaar.udai.gov.in/verifyAadhaar and get the official status of the Aadhaar number.

The verification step is also possible in the offline mode. All one needs to do is scan the QR code, which is available on the e-Aadhaar card using the QR code scanner present in the mAadhaar mobile app, which is available for both Android and iPhone users.

Aadhaar is an integral document in India, it is used for application purposes. And in order to avoid its misuse, one must begin to follow the advice given by the Indian government from now onwards.