Virtual ID futile exercise, like locking stable after horses have bolted : P Chidambaram

Questioning the efficacy of the measure, announced by UIDAI on Wednesday, the Congress leader pointed out that many people have already shared their Aadhaar numbers with Government agencies, banks as well as mobile service providers.

In a tweet, he said :  “Under compulsion, millions of persons have already shared Aadhaar number with many service providers. New security layer is like locking the stable after horses have bolted.”

Earlier this month, a report in The Tribune alleged Aadhaar data can be accessed through WhatsApp for a fee. Following the report, the UIDAI said there was no breach of sensitive data such as one’s biometrics, but it went ahead and filed a case against the news organisation as well as the agency that provided the information to the journalist for a fee.

On Wednesday, UIDAI announced introduction of another layer of protection from March-end in a bid to ensure citizens that their data will be secure.

The  Virtual ID is a 16-digit randomly-generated temporary number that people would be able to share instead of Aadhaar.

The new system is aimed at minimising instances of leak and misuse of Aadhaar numbers and enhancing privacy of the 119 crore people issued the identification number.
The move came  amid a  hue and cry over a newspaper expose on unauthorised access of the UIDAI database earlier this month.

It will be compulsory for all agencies that undertake authentication to accept the Virtual ID from their users from 1 June 2018.

The  UIDAI, has also introduced the concept of 'limited KYC' under which it will only provide need-based or limited details of a user to an authorised agency that is providing a particular service.

The virtual ID for an Aadhaar holder can be used in lieu of  one's Aadhaar number to avoid the need for sharing it at the time of authentication.