(ET)
Amid the privacy and protection concerns voiced by various groups, the top team of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is exploring the possibility of introducing dummy numbers that would add an extra layer of security to every Aadhaar cardholder.
Such a framework would require an individual to share dummy or pseudo numbers — and not the real Aadhaar number — to government agencies, private utilities, banks and while withdrawing money from ATMs or moving funds from ATMs or moving funds from one bank account to another under the Aadhaar-enabled payment system. Besides the cardholder, the original Aadhaar number would be known only to UIDAI. Two senior persons in the industry told ET that the concept has been discussed at senior levels in UIDAI but is yet to be finalised.
