The Unique Identification Authority of India on Sunday refuted reports that several people had managed to gain access to the personal information of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairperson Ram Sewak Sharma with the help of his Aadhaar number. The UIDAI took to Twitter to describe such claims as farce, and urged people against believing them.
On Saturday, the former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India had shared his Aadhaar number on Twitter and challenged people to show him how their knowledge of the unique identity number could be used to harm him.
Sharma’s challenge led to severe backlash on Twitter with several users claiming that they were able to obtain his personal details, such as his PAN and mobile number, using the Aadhaar number.
UIDAI said the people could have gained access to Sharma’s personal information through other means. “It is reiterated that in this case of [RS] Sharma, no data has been fetched using his Aadhaar number from UIDAI’s servers or Aadhaar database,” UIDAI tweeted. “One could have just googled his name [without Aadhaar number], visited a few other websites and got most of the details.
The unique identification body reiterated its statement about Aadhaar’s security. “UIDAI condemns such malicious attempts by few individuals to malign the world’s largest unique identity project – Aadhaar,” it said. UIDAI said that Aadhaar has built the digital trust among people at large and these devious elements are trying to spread misinformation.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!