UIDAI’s response to an RTI query confirmed that over 200 state and central government websites may have leaked Aadhar data of Indian citizens. The disclosed data includes full names, addresses, Aadhar numbers and other details. But data was removed soon after the breach was reported.
Also see: Download Aadhar card online
This RTI was filed after a Punjab government entity published the Aadhaar information of 20,100 citizens on its official website in August.
UIDAI has never disclosed any data and it also claims to have a well-designed, multi-layer robust security system. It also conducts regular security audits to strengthen security and privacy of data.
UIDAI or ‘Unique Identification Authority of India’ is the statutory authority that issues digit unique-identity number based on their demographic and biometric data. The company calls it Aadhar number. It was established in January 2009 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Recently, Indian Government has started making Aadhar mandatory for bank accounts, phone connections, insurance policies and even LPG connections. This step will surely help the government is reducing the number of fake connections. But these breaches questions the privacy of personal information.
