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Centre withdraws 'don't share Aadhaar photocopy' advice, says exercise 'normal prudence'
In its earlier statement, which now stands withdrawn, the Centre said hotels and cinema halls are not authorised to keep the Aadhaar cards of the customers.
The Centre on Sunday clarified the press release issued by the ministry of electronics and information technology which had advised people to not share the photocopy of their Aadhaar cards with any organisation. The press release was issued on May 27 and it triggered panic over information stealing as the ministry statement said Aadhaar card numbers can be misused. Later, the ministry issued a clarification claiming that the earlier advice is being withdrawn with immediate effect as there is a possibility of misinterpretation.
Both the statements can be accessed here and here.
In a notification, issued on May 27, which now stands withdrawn, the ministry of electronics and information technology said organisations which have obtained a user license from the UIDAI can use Aadhaar for establishing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 earlier 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 earlier 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," it 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.
