UIDAI to Ban Photocopying of Aadhaar Cards, Introduce New Digital Verification Rule Soon

A new regulation prohibiting hotels, event planners, and similar organisations from gathering and keeping physical copies of Aadhaar cards will soon be implemented, according to a senior government official. The current Aadhaar Act is broken by the practice of keeping a copy. UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar claims that the authority has authorised a new framework that mandates that organisations that do Aadhaar-based verification, such as lodging facilities and event planners, register with the system in order to obtain access to a new verification technology.

Kumar informed PTI that the technology will enable verification using a new Aadhaar mobile application that is presently being developed or by scanning a QR code. The authority has approved the new rule, according to Kumar, and notice will be sent out shortly. It will require offline verification-seeking organisations, such as hotels and event planners, to register. Discouragement of paper-based Aadhaar verification is the goal.

How the New Verification System will Operate?

Challenges brought on by intermediary servers that transport requests to the central Aadhaar database are anticipated to be resolved by the redesigned verification process. An API (application programming interface) will be made available to entities that need offline authentication so they can integrate the verification system into their applications.

A new application that will enable app-to-app authentication without requiring a connection to the central server for each transaction is presently undergoing beta testing by UIDAI. Airports and retail establishments that offer age-restricted goods are two places where this technique can be utilised.

The New System will Enhance Privacy Protection

The revised verification structure, according to Kumar, will do away with the dangers of paper-based Aadhaar processing and improve privacy protection. According to him, the simplicity of verification would improve offline verification without the need for paper while protecting user privacy and reducing the possibility of their Aadhaar data being misused through leakage. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which will be fully operational in 18 months, will be supported by the app. Users will be able to add family members without smartphones to the same app and upload updated proof of address documentation.