The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has earned some well-deserved flak for issuing a press release advising members of the public to avoid sharing a photocopy of their Aadhaar card with anyone and then retracting this statement within 24 hours.
The retraction came with a new piece of advice – people have been told to exercise “normal prudence” with their Aadhaar cards. There is thus understandable confusion among the public now as to what is safe and unsafe as far as sharing Aadhaar cards is concerned.
The confusion is unnecessary. The UIDAI’s rules and regulations are clear on this matter. If someone asks you for your Aadhaar card to verify your identity, this is a case of “offline verification” under the amended Aadhaar Act, and the concerned person or agency is an “offline verification seeking entity” (OVSE). Offline verification is permissible, but it is subject to compliance with the UIDAI’s rules and regulations.
One of these regulations is that the OVSE should seek your consent and inform you about alternative modes of identity verification if you prefer to avoid sharing your
— source thewire.in | Jean Drèze, Ria Singh Sawhney | 01/Jun/2022