UIDAI says no Aadhaar data leak in seven years

NEW DELHI:The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that apprehensions with regard to leakage of Aadhaar data and security breach have no basis. There was no possibility of leakage or security breach; in the past seven years, there has not been a single breach, Pandey told the bench.

Concluding his power point presentation before a five-judge constitution bench, Pandey said the UIDAI is working with Justice Srikrishna panel to put in place a stricter law for data protection. “The data with us is encrypted and secured in the depository, which is not connected to Internet,” he said.On the judges’ query if the data collected can be shared for commercial purposes by the authentication user agencies, CEO said, “The software for authentication agencies are provided by the UIDAI. The moment the data is collected, it is encrypted. It can’t be stored or transferred.” He said the authentication log details are fully secured. “We have taken the help of world leaders in biometric technology to ensure high level of accuracy. But there is no last word on security,” Pandey said.

He said UIDAI will soon launch virtual identity numbers (16-digit random numbers that masks Aadhaar number and can be used to provide to companies and third parties). From July, face identification will be used for authentication and soon QR codes on Aadhaar will have photos.Meanwhile, the bench refused to extend the deadline for linking Aadhaar with welfare schemes beyond March 31.