Aadhaar data of 134,000 Indians leaked on Andhra govt website; top updates

On reasonable grounds, the benefits that Aadhaar offers to citizens are immense. But the actual costs stem from the possible misuse of Aadhaar data. Despite a robust legislation on data protection by UIDAI, Aadhaar numbers and bank details of over 134,000 beneficiaries on Andhra Pradesh Housing Corporation's website have been leaked. The Andhra Pradesh government’s cyber security researcher Kodali Srinivas has revealed how a state-run agency has disclosed the Aadhaar data, bank accounts information with IFSC codes, caste and religion besides geo-location of 134,000 beneficiaries of housing schemes.

The leaked details have now been taken off the website.

Even after repeated claims by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) that Aadhaar data can never be used for surveillance or to track religious and caste information, this new data leak of sensitive information is likely to bring the authenticity of the nodal agency’s regulations on data protection under question. The latest Aadhaar data breach took place just a day after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Andhra Pradesh Cyber Security Operations Centre (APCSOC).

Aadhaar-welfare schemes linking extended by 3 months; here's how to do it

The government on Wednesday extended by three months to June 30 the deadline for linking of Aadhaar with welfare schemes, where the benefits are funded from the Consolidated Fund of India.

The earlier deadline for the same was March 31, 2018.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT, in an office memorandum issued today, informed about the extension of the stipulated date for the linkage to June 30.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Tuesday extended the last date for linking of Aadhaar with Permanent Account Number (PAN) from March 31, 2018, to June 30, 2018.
The order said the deadline for PAN-Aadhaar linking for filing I-T returns is being extended after "consideration of the matter".

It is understood that the latest order by CBDT has come in the backdrop of the Supreme Court, earlier this month, directing extension of the March 31 deadline for linking Aadhaar with various other services.

UIDAI introduces 'Virtual ID' to avoid sharing of your Aadhaar number

In a bid to address privacy concerns, the UIDAI on Wednesday introduced a new concept of 'Virtual ID' which Aadhaar-card holder can generate from its website and give for various purposes, including SIM verification, instead of sharing the actual 12-digit biometric ID.

This will give the users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication.
The Virtual ID, which would be a random 16-digit number, together with biometrics of the user would give any authorised agency like a mobile company, limited details like name, address and photograph, which are enough for any verification.
Officials said a user can generate as many Virtual IDs as he or she wants. The older ID gets automatically cancelled once a fresh one is generated.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has also introduced the concept of 'limited KYC' under which it will only provide need-based or limited details of a user to an authorised agency that is providing a particular service, say, a telco.

The Virtual ID will be a temporary and revocable 16 digit random number mapped to a person's Aadhaar number and the Aadhaar-issuing body will start accepting it from March 1, 2018.
From June 1, 2018, it will be compulsory for all agencies that undertake authentication to accept the Virtual ID from their users.
Agencies that do not migrate to the new system to offer this additional option to their users by the stipulated deadline will face financial disincentives.

Report says you can get Aadhaar details for Rs 500; UIDAI denies breach

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has denied the media report published in The Tribune titled "Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details" and has said that it is a case of misreporting.

The UIDAI assured that there has not been any Aadhaar data breach. The Aadhaar data including biometric information is fully safe and secure.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the UIDAI said that UIDAI has given the said search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to the designated personnel and state government officials to help residents only by entering their Aadhaar number/EID.

The UIDAI maintains complete log and traceability of the facility and any misuse can be traced and appropriate action taken.

The reported case appears to be an instance of misuse of the grievance redressal search facility. As UIDAI maintains a complete log and traceability of the facility, the legal action including lodging of FIR against the persons involved in the instant case is being done.

The UIDAI reiterates that the grievance redressal search facility gives only limited access to the name and other details and has no access to biometric details. UIDAI reassures that there has not been any data breach of the biometric database which remains fully safe and secure with the highest encryption at UIDAI and a mere display of demographic information cannot be misused without biometrics.

Further, the Aadhaar number is not a secret number. It is to be shared with authorized agencies whenever an Aadhaar holder wishes to avail certain service or benefit of government welfare scheme/s or other services. But that does not mean that the proper use of Aadhaar number poses a security or financial threat.

Aadhaar mandatory for stock markets: Brokers ask for more time

STOCK MARKET have asked brokers to furnish Aadhaar details for all their existing clients before the end of this year. Brokers fear they won't be able to meet the deadline and have asked for more time for compliance.

"The December deadline will be slightly cumbersome in terms of achieving 100 per cent compliance. We have told stock exchanges to give us a year to complete the full database," said CJ George, MD, Geojit Financial Services.

"There are legacy clients. There are a lot of investors who are not active now but were active in the past. We have asked for time for such accounts. Even if we give notice, they won't respond," he added.

In a notice last week, stock exchanges directed brokers to cease the accounts of clients who fail to submit Aadhaar details by December 31, 2017. Clients who have opened trading accounts after June 1, 2017, have been given six months to submit details.

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Don't like Aadhaar? Watch out for Twitter trolls like these

India's biometric state ID system has been leaking citizens’ data for months. When this information surfaced in April 2017, it stoked fears that the system could be used as an instrument of surveillance against Indian residents.

The Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), which administrates the system known as Aadhaar (meaning foundation in Hindi) maintains that it only collects minimal personal data and stores it securely. But critics have firmly expressed doubts about these claims.

Repeat after me: Aadhaar is surveillance technology masquerading as secure authentication technology.

— Sunil Abraham (@sunil_abraham) February 24, 2017

The implications of these leaks, and of any system flaw in Aadhaar technology, are substantial, especially for Indians who depend on the Aadhaar system in order to authenticate their identities when they use any number of government services. The Aadhaar system has become the gatekeeper of state systems and services ranging from voting to financial savings to food subsidies.

The digital sphere is now starting to see a pushback against Aadhaar critics through articles and blogposts that describe concerned citizens and privacy experts as the ‘anti-Aadhaar brigade‘ and accuse them of publishing “half-truths” and “spread[ing] confusion to advance their own interests.” One such article was even featured on the UIDAI website.

Some of the most well-researched critiques of the system have come from the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), an inter-disciplinary research organisation in Bangalore that has now become a target of the pro-Aadhaar lobby. Shortly after CIS released a report that pointed out security flaws in the Aadhaar ecosystem, the UIDAI accused the organization of hacking into the Aadhaar system themselves.

In fact, CIS had investigated databases of four specific government websites. Three were available publicly, the fourth one was accessible by simply changing one of the URL parameters. Following the accusation from UIDAI, CIS clarified that the Aadhaar numbers along with other sensitive personal financial information like bank account details were made available by government websites themselves, putting a sizeable portion of Indian citizens at risk of financial fraud.
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SC raps Modi govt for making Aadhaar mandatory for filing I-T returns

The Supreme Court of Friday asked Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi to justify making Aadhaar mandatory for filing Income Tax returns as it is a complete violation of the court's previous order. "Is making Aadhaar by force the only way to tackle fraud?" a furious Supreme Court asked the central government.

The apex court debated the legality of a centralized biometric-based database of India’s 1.2 billion citizens. To this, Mukul Rohatgi responded that the central government's only option was to make Aadhaar mandatory to end the black money menace.

"We found a number of pan cards being used to divert funds to shell companies, to prevent it the only option is to make Aadhaar card mandatory," said Rohatgi.

The Supreme Court had on March 27 made it clear that Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory by the government for extending benefits of social welfare schemes.

The top court, however, said that the government cannot be barred from seeking these cards, which are issued by UIDAI, for "non-benefit" purposes like filing of IT returns and opening of accounts.

"The answer is this that for giving benefits of welfare schemes, it (Aadhaar) cannot be pressed. They (government and its agencies) cannot be stopped from seeking Aadhaar for non-benefit schemes like opening of bank accounts," a bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar had said.

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Linking PAN to Aadhaar is now compulsory. Here's how to do it

If you have not linked your Aadhaar with your PAN on the income tax portal yet, you should not delay it. As per latest circular from income tax (I-T) department, it is now mandatory to provide Aadhaar and permanent account number (PAN) details while filing tax returns.

The rule which will be applicable from July 1, 2017 is aimed at tax evaders who hold multiple PAN cards to escape paying tax. Therefore, after linking both the Aadhaar and PAN, the government hopes to keep tabs on the taxable transactions of a particular individual or entity, whose identity and address will be verified by his Aadhaar card

By linking the two, entities will no longer have to submit their Income Tax acknowledgement to the I-T department, thus saving tax payers a lot of trouble.

When linking, make sure that name, date of birth and gender displayed on the income tax website matches with the detail on your Aadhaar Card. Here’s how to do it:

• The first step towards linking Aadhaar with PAN is to register on Income tax e-filing portal.
• If you are an already registered user on e-filing portal, login to e-filing portal of Income tax department by entering your PAN as User ID, date of birth and password.
• On logging in to the site, a pop up window will appear prompting you to link your PAN card with Aadhaar card.
• You can input your Aadhaar number enter ‘captcha’ code and click on ‘link now’.
• In case you have decided to link Aadhaar with PAN later click on ‘later’ button.
• On logging, if no pop up window appear, go to profile Setting and click on ‘link Aadhaar’.
• Enter your Aadhaar number enter captcha code and click on ‘link Aadhaar’.
• The system will match your name, date of birth and gender with PAN card and Aadhaar database, if detail matches, you will get the message “Aadhaar – PAN linking is completed successfully.” READ MORE