Govt withdraws advisory against sharing photocopy of Aadhaar with entities

The government has withdrawn a UIDAI advisory warning people not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar cards with any organisation. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has withdrawn the press statement, citing the risk of misunderstanding.

"The release advised the people to not to share photocopy of their Aadhaar with any organisation 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 However, in view of the possibility of the misinterpretation of the Press Release, the same stands withdrawn with immediate effect," the statement said.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAIBengaluru )'s Regional Office issued a press statement asking the general people not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar with any organisation since it may be abused.

It had also mentioned that a disguised Aadhaar, which only shows the last four digits of the biometric ID, might be utilised for the purpose.

The UIDAI issued Aadhaar card holders are only urged to use and share their Aadhaar numbers with caution, according to MeitY's withdrawal statement.

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