A message, claiming that the government has urged the public not to share photocopies of their Aadhaar card for any purpose, is being widely circulated on WhatsApp.
It says the government has “suggested that masked xerox of Aadhaar card (where only the last four digits of the 12-digit Aadhaar number are visible) should be given if xerox of Aadhaar card is essential at a place”.
It claims that an order has been issued to this effect to prevent the misuse of the identity document.
But The Hindu found no evidence for these claims, as there were no relevant media reports or press releases on government websites to substantiate them.
When contacted, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers the programme, denied that any such order had been issued.
“The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has not issued any such order. Aadhaar is a digital ID, which residents can use confidently as per their choice to avail benefits and services. They should observe the same level of usage hygiene as they do with any other identity document, including Bank Passbook, PAN, Passport, Voter ID, etc. UIDAI has always been creating awareness around Aadhaar usage for all stakeholders, including residents. One may refer to a press release on Aadhaar usage hygiene, dated December 30, 2022, here - https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1887539,” it said in an email to The Hindu.
The press release makes various suggestions to keep Aadhaar data secure. “Residents are advised not to share Aadhaar openly in public domain particularly on social media and other public platforms. Aadhaar holders should not disclose Aadhaar OTP to any unauthorized entity and refrain from sharing m-Aadhaar PIN with anyone,” it says.
But there is no suggestion that the public should not share photocopies of their Aadhaar card.
