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Not A Single Leak From The UIDAI Database, CEO Tells Supreme Court

UIDAI CEO today completed his presentation before the five-judge Constitution bench.

Aadhaar Seva kendra. (Source: Aadhaar Official Account/Facebook) 
Aadhaar Seva kendra. (Source: Aadhaar Official Account/Facebook) 

There has been no data leaks from the UIDAI database, the chief of the Aadhaar-issuing body said before the Supreme Court today

The Unique Identification Authority of India gets only the minimum information when transactions are carried out using the Aadhaar authentication method, CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said in the apex court. “When Aadhaar authentication is done for various transactions, UIDAI does not get to know the purpose and details of those transactions.”

The e-KYC data is not shared with anyone except with the Aadhaar holder who does the transaction using Aadhaar authentication, the CEO said. But the UIDAI has made online authentication history available to ensure that the Aadhaar holder can check if he feels his Aadhaar is being misused, he informed the top court.

Pandey today completed his presentation before the five-judge Constitution bench in which he addressed the security and the technical aspects of the Aadhaar programme. In January, the Constitutional bench began hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Aadhaar Act and use of Aadhaar across government and private services. The hearing is in its 23rd day.

During the presentation, Pandey argued that including Iris scan for authentication helps  improve the accuracy of biometric authentication. In addition, the UIDAI plans to introduce facial recognition along with finger print authentication from July 1 to achieve greater accuracy, he added.

Petitioners challenging the Aadhaar scheme have submitted a list of 20 questions to be answered by the UIDAI CEO. The bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra asked Pandey to answer the questions in writing on the next date of hearing on April 3. Thereafter, the Attorney General for India KK Venugopal will continue arguments on behalf of the petitioners.