Aadhaar Data Breach: Much Ado About Nothing

Yet another news turned out to be false. The Unique Identification Authority of India has denied the media reports that said that for 500 rupees one could have access to billion Aadhaar details. UIDAI has called it a case of misreporting and assured that there has not been any data breach.

The explanation may help put to rest the fears among people and nay-sayers on Aadhaar. There were reports of Aadhaar details being made available on payment of as low as Rs. 500. Some anonymous sellers were offering unrestricted access to Aadhaar details for 500 rupees over WhatsApp, the report said.

The UIDAI has said that the reported case appears to be instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility and assured that it maintains complete log and traceability of the facility and any misuse can be traced and appropriate action taken.

The grievance redressal search facility gives only limited access to name and other details and has no access to biometric details, it insists. According to UIDAI, the Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure.