Aadhaar Data Fully Safe, Secure: UIDAI

Admitting to an instance of attempt to misuse biometrics data, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Sunday said that the information on individuals enrolled by it is safe and secure.

This clarification by the UIDAI, which administers the Aadhaar project, comes in the wake of recent reports of breach in the security of Aadhaar data, which were misused for creating parallel databases.

"It is an isolated case of an employee working with a bank's Business Correspondent's company making an attempt to misuse his own biometrics which was detected by UIDAI internal security system and subsequently actions under the Aadhaar Act have been initiated," the Electronics and IT Ministry (MeitY) said in a statement in New Delhi.

"With regard to misinformation appearing in various print and social media during the last few days, alleging breach of Aadhaar data, misuse of biometrics, breach of privacy, and creation of parallel databases, etcetera, UIDAI said it has carefully gone into these reports and would like to emphasise that there has been no breach to UIDAI database of Aadhaar and personal data of individuals held by UIDAI is fully safe and secure," it said.

"Any unauthorised capture of iris or fingerprints or storage or replay of biometrics or their misuse is a criminal offence under the Aadhaar Act," it added.

According to the ministry, the UIDAI uses one of world's most advanced encryption technologies in transmission and storage of data.

"As a result, during the last seven years, there has been no report of breach or leak of residents' data out of UIDAI," it said.

"UIDAI is continuously updating its security parameters and looking at the new threats in cyber space. It has decided to have registered devices for capturing biometrics data and further that such biometrics will be encrypted at the point of capture itself," it added.

Meanwhile, in a move to promote digital transactions post-demonetisation, the government on Friday said it has asked banks to provide mobile banking facility to all customers by the end of the current fiscal on March 31.

"Ministry issues advisory to banks to enable mobile seeding, Aadhaar seeding of bank accounts along with enablement of Mobile Banking for all its savings bank customers on a campaign mode by 31st March 2017," the MeitY said.