There is a popular belief that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been allowing access/sharing details of Aadhaar with not just Government departments, banks, but also with private agencies to whom parts of enrolment work is out-sourced. In an exclusive chat with The Hindu , UIDAI’s Deputy Director-General M.V.S. Rami Reddy at the regional office here was quick to dismiss this ‘myths’ as he termed it.
“Aadhaar numbers and identities are not shared at all. They are only authenticated for the express purpose stated. For example, if it were for the purpose of opening a bank account, the person in question gets an OTP (one-time password and once he/she authorises the process by using it, it becomes null and void and no one, repeat none, can get access again,” he said.
“Only in the enrolment stage are private operators involved and that too, once the process of data is keyed in and the relevant bio-metrics captured, the entire packet is taken over by the UIDAI’s servers. Even for the enrolment, operators are empanelled only after a thorough screening of their computers and credentials is done,” Mr. Reddy said.
Explaining the workflow of the private operations at the centres, he said that it was so security-tight that for each enrolment/bio-metric updation for every single person, the operator had to login with his/her thumb impression. Once the operation is done, there is no going back.
Asked about cases in the Supreme Court being moved over issues of privacy, Mr. Reddy said that the authority had given the necessary clarifications to the apex court. “There is no room for any concerns to persist in the minds of people,” he said, summing up.
