Avoid sharing photocopy of Aadhaar, share only masked version: Govt advisory

In order to prevent misuse, the central government has asked citizens to share only masked versions of their Aadhaar cards with organisations.

In a press-release, the government said, "Do not share photocopy of your Aadhaar with any organisation as it can be misused. Alternatively, please use a masked Aadhaar which displays only the last four digits of your Aadhaar number." The masked version can be downloaded from UIDAI official website by selecting the option “Do you want a masked Aadhaar” to download.

Moreover, unlicensed private entities are like hotels and film halls are not allowed to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar card, the notice issued by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said.

"Only those organisations that have obtained a User License from the Unique Identification Authority of India can use Aadhaar for establishing the identity of a person," the government stated. The government asked citizens to verify that an organisation has a valid User License from UIDAI before sharing their Aadhaar cards with them.

Further, the government has also warned people not to use public computers at internet cafes to download their Aadhaar cards. "If you do so, please ensure that you delete all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently from that computer," the government advisory says.

The release, also said that the existence of any Aadhaar number can be verified at myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/verifyAadhaar. To verify offline, a person can scan the QR code on e-Aadhaar or Aadhaar letter or Aadhaar PVC card using QR code scanner in the mAadhaar mobile application.