Aadhaar App With Facial Recognition-Based Authentication Unveiled by UIDAI

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has unveiled a redesigned Aadhaar app for smartphones that scans a user's face to confirm their identity. According to the UIDAI the new app is designed to enable digital verification via a QR code and the camera on a user's smartphone, without the need to submit photocopies of a user's Aadhaar card. The app could eventually speed up the process of identity verification, but concerns around the use of biometrics for authentication continue to linger.

UIDAI Conducts Testing of Revamped Aadhaar App

The new app was showcased at Aadhaar Samvaad, the stakeholder meeting with ecosystem partners, that was held in Delhi on Tuesday. At the event, the UIDAI demonstrated the revamped Aadhaar app, which integrates its Aadhaar Face Authentication system that scans a user's face to confirm their identity.

According to the UIDAI, the new Aadhaar app allows users with an Aadhaar card to authenticate themselves without carrying a physical version of the card, or sharing photocopies of the document with a service provider. Once the app is set up on a user's smartphone, it can be used to securely verify their identity and no details are shared with the provider.

A video showcasing the capabilities of the new Aadhaar app sheds some light on the authentication process. When presented with a QR code or an application that requests identity verification, the Aadhaar app will prompt users to enter their security PIN to unlock the app and begin authentication.

Users will then be presented with a masked, digital version of their Aadhaar card in the app. They can scan a QR code, which shows the information (for e.g. name, date of birth, and masked mobile number) requested by the service provider, which can be a hotel reception desk or a shop.

If a user chooses to go ahead with the authentication process, the app will prompt them to position their face in a circle in the middle of the screen. The app requires a user to blink in order to complete the authentication process, and a confirmation message is displayed to inform the user that their identity has been verified.

While the redesigned Aadhaar app might streamline the authentication process and cut down on the use of physical documents, experts have warned about the security of user's biometric information on centralised servers. Facial biometrics, fingerprints, and iris scans are immutable and cannot be changed — unlike passwords and security codes — and leaks could put enrolled users at risk of identity theft and other forms of misuse.

The UIDAI says that the redesigned Aadhaar app will protect users against forgery (or editing) and data is only shared with a user's consent, according to the UIDAI. It has been released to a small group of testers and will be rolled out widely in the future, after feedback is received from testers and ecosystem partners.