Statement comes 3 days after TRAI chief published his Aadhaar info online. (Illustration: CR Sasikumar)
Three days after Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s Chairman RS Sharma published his Aadhaar number on Twitter with a challenge to show how the knowledge of the 12-digit number can be used to cause him harm, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issued a statement Tuesday advising people “to refrain from publicly putting their Aadhaar numbers on internet and social media and posing challenges to others”.
On Saturday, Sharma, who is the former chief of the UIDAI, has put out his Aadhaar number in response to a challenge from a Twitter user asking him to do so if he had trust in the system. Following this, several Twitter users posted Sharma’s personal details such as mobile number, e-mail ID, residential address, etc. On Sunday, UIDAI — the nodal agency for Aadhaar project — had said that these details were not obtained from Aadhaar database but was already available in the public domain and could be accessed through search engines. Users on the micro-blogging site also began posting their own Aadhaar numbers after Sharma posted his.
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People are advised to refrain from publicly putting their Aadhaar numbers on internet and social media and posing challenges to others. 1/n— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) July 31, 2018
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“This advisory has come from UIDAI with reference to some news items appearing on social media reporting few persons publicly posting their Aadhaar numbers on internet and social media and posing challenges to others,” the statement said. “… people should not display or publish their Aadhaar number in public. Aadhaar number is personally sensitive information like bank account number, passport number, PAN number, etc., which should be strictly shared only on a need basis for a legitimate use for establishing identity and for legitimate transactions,” UIDAI asserted.
Sharma could not be reached for a comment.
UIDAI warned that conducting Aadhaar authentication through somebody else’s Aadhaar number or using someone else’s Aadhaar number for any purpose may amount to impersonation and thereby a criminal offence under the Aadhaar Act and the Indian Penal Code. “Any person indulging in such acts or abetting or inciting others to do so makes themselves liable for prosecution and penal action under the law. Therefore people should refrain from such acts,” it said. The authority pointed out that “indiscriminate and unwanted publication” of any personally sensitive information, whether Aadhaar or any other, may render the concerned person vulnerable, and, therefore should be avoided. “Also, as per the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and IT (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 and Justice Srikrishna’s proposed Data Protection Bill, personally sensitive information should not be published or shared publicly,” UIDAI said.
The nodal agency for the Aadhaar project also pointed out that “indiscriminate and unwanted publication” of any personally sensitive information, whether Aadhaar or any other, may render the concerned person vulnerable and, therefore, should be avoided. UIDAI also informed in its advisory that conducting “Aadhaar authentication through somebody else’s Aadhaar number or using someone else’s Aadhaar number for any purpose may amount to impersonation and thereby a criminal offence under the Aadhaar Act and Indian Penal Code”. “Any person indulging in such acts or abetting or inciting others to do so makes themselves liable for prosecution and penal action under the law. Therefore people should refrain from such acts,” it said.