Indian Government’s ambitious Unique ID project that will impart unique identity number to each and every resident will change the way social welfare systems are delivered to the mass.
The UID project does have its technology challenge and of course, privacy concerns. There are a few subtle information about UID project that are described as follows:
- The UID number will only provide identity: The UID number will only guarantee identity, not rights, benefits or entitlements.
- The UID will prove identity, not citizenship: All residents in the country can be issued a unique ID. The UID is proof of identity and does not confer citizenship.
- Partnership Model : The UIDAI will be the regulatory authority managing a Central ID Data Repository (CIDR), which will issue UID numbers, update resident information, and authenticate the identity of residents as required. In addition, the Authority will partner with agencies such as central and state departments and private sector agencies who will be ‘Registrars’ for the UIDAI.
- The UIDAI will issue a number, not a card.
- UID number will not contain intelligence: Loading intelligence into identity numbers makes them susceptible to fraud and theft. The UID will be a random number.
- Online authentication: The Authority will offer a strong form of online authentication, where agencies can compare demographic and biometric information of the resident with the record stored in the central database
- UID will store basic information like Name/Date&Place of Birth/Gender/Father’s Name/Mother’s Name/Address/Expiry Date/Photograph and Finger Prints
- The UIDAI will not share resident data: The agencies may store the information of residents they enrol if they are authorized to do so, but they will not have access to the information in the UID database. The UIDAI will answer requests to authenticate identity only through a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response.
