Don’t share photocopy of Aadhaar card as it can be misused: Centre’s advisory

The Centre has issued a new advisory warning people to not share the photocopy of their Aadhaar card with any organisations as it can be misused.

In a notification, issued on May 27, the ministry of electronics and information technology said organisations which have obtained a user license from the UIDAI can use Aadhaar for establishing the identity of a person. Private entities like hotels or film halls are not entitled to keep copies of Aadhaar cards, the press release said.

“Unlicensed private entities like hotels or film halls are not permitted to collect or keep copies of Aadhaar cards. It is an offence under the Aadhaar Act 2016. If a private entity demands to see your Aadhaar card, or seeks a photocopy of your Aadhaar card, please verify that they have a valid User License from the UIDAI,” the release said.

As an alternative to submitting a photocopy of the Aadhaar card, users can download a masked Aadhaar card, which displays only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar number, from the UIDAI website.

“Please avoid using a public computer at an internet cafe/kiosk to download e-Aadhaar. However, if you do so, please ensure that you delete all the downloaded copies of e-Aadhaar permanently from the computer,” the advisory said.

What is a masked Aadhaar card? How to download one

A masked Aadhaar card will not reveal the 12-digit Aadhaar number. Instead, it will only show the last 4 digits. A masked copy of Aadhaar can be downloaded from the UIDAI website.

1. Go to https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/

2. Enter your Aadhaar card number

3. Select the option ‘Do you want a masked Aadhaar’

4. Select download and get a copy of the Aadhaar card with only the last four digits of the Aadhaar number.