Centre withdraws 'don't share Aadhaar photocopy' advice, says exercise 'normal prudence'

The Ministry of Electronics & IT has issued a clarification regarding the advisory issued by UIDAI on May 29, 2022, which reads, "It is learnt that it was issued by them in the context of an attempt to misuse a photoshopped Aadhaar card. 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 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However, in view of the possibility of the misinterpretation of the Press Release, the same stands withdrawn with immediate effect.

UIDAI issued 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."

Do not share photocopy of your Aadhaar with any organisations

The Indian Government has issued an order asking people to stop sharing their photocopy of their Aadhaar card with anyone, including all organisations. The order primarily states that sharing or distributing photocopy of you Aadhaar card could be misused by anyone. As per the statement from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in a press release, "Do not share photocopy of your Aadhaar with any organisations because it can be misused."

The statement from the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) also wants you to be smart while using the Aadhaar card for verification or documentation process. The release also suggest that people should avoid downloading Aadhaar copies from public computers that are available at cyber cafes. Still if you want to use this method to get the copy of your Aadhaar, then make sure to delete all the e-copies from the system, including the recycle bin.

In addition to 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 different purposes. It wants to make sure that organisations with relevant licences use Aadhaar for identifying a person and they have got the User License from the UIDAI to do so.

Other places like hotels and movie halls have been restricted from collecting and keeping copies of Aadhaar card. And if they indulge in such practices, it is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016.

HOW TO SECURELY SHARE YOUR AADHAAR CARD

The press release advices people of the country to use the masked Aadhaar card which only gives you the last four digits of your Aadhaar number. Anyone with a legitimate Aadhaar number can download it from the official website of UIDAI over here.

And before you download the copy of your Aadhaar card from this page, make sure to select the "Do you want a masked Aadhaar" option.

UIDAI has also talked about a secure way of verifying any Aadhaar number. You can head over to https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/verifyAadhaar and get the official status of the Aadhaar number. The verification step is also possible in the offline mode. All you have to do is scan the QR code that 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, used for application purposes. And to avoid its misuse, you should start following the advice given by the Indian Government right away.