Aadhaar app to encourage offline sharing by only exposing minimal data: UIDAI CEO

A new Aadhaar app under testing will minimise the amount of data that the 12-digit identifier’s users in India need to share in public places like hotels, and enable sharing of selective information as and when it is needed, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told The Hindu in an interview.

“This is what we want Aadhaar to be,” Mr. Kumar said, displaying a dense QR code in the Aadhaar app, which is set to be formally launched and promoted after incorporating more features and undergoing a public test. The app is already available on mobile app marketplaces. The dense QR code represents all the data of an Aadhaar user, including their photo, completely offline.

Impossible to forge

The QR code would be scanned by others using the Aadhaar app, and since it is digitally signed by the UIDAI using standard cryptographic techniques, it would be practically impossible to forge. The feature would also reduce the issue of images or PDF documents featuring forged Aadhaar details.

This would make Aadhaar the only ID “which is verifiable offline”, Mr. Kumar said. In recent rule amendments, UIDAI introduced the concept of “Offline Verification Seeking Entities,” or OVSEs.

OVSEs would be public places like hotel receptions, which would be “discouraged”, Mr. Kumar said, from asking guests to share physical copies of Aadhaar, and would instead receive a digitally authenticated record of visitors’ Aadhaar, with an assurance that the details are legitimate.

Mr. Kumar ruled out an outright prohibition of storing physical ID details, as this may exclude those who do not have a smartphone. The data would be “stored in a safe method online which can be audited by empaneled auditors”, he said.

Age verification

Since the app allows users to share details selectively, it would be able to fulfill something like age verification without sharing more data than necessary. For example, platforms that would like to age-restrict certain products would be able to seek just the age of a user, with UIDAI’s digital signature ensuring that the data comes from a valid Aadhaar record.