UIDAI Introduces Digitally Signed QR Code with Photo on e-Aadhaar

UIDAI Introduces Digitally Signed QR Code with Photo on e-Aadhaar- Details, Features, Benefits

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a secured digitally-signed QR Code on e-Aadhaar. It will now contain a photograph of Aadhaar holder in addition to demographic details to facilitate better offline verification of an individual.

The small QR code will be on the front side of the cutaway portion of e- Aadhaar, with demographic data. It will also have UIDAI digital signature to make this information more secure and tamper-proof

A QR code is a form of barcode label which contains machine-readable information, while e-Aadhaar is the electronic version of Aadhaar that can be downloaded from UIDAI website.

The new feature, the digitally-signed QR code, will contain the photo of the Aadhaar holder in addition to existing facility of demographic details, in turn allowing various user agencies like banks to verify the authenticity of Aadhaar card offline.

UIDAI CEO, Ajay Bhushan Pandey informed that it is a simple offline mechanism to quickly verify the efficiency of the Aadhaar card.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey also added to ensure that a person is an actual owner of the Aadhaar card, there has to be a manual check of the photo with the individual's face or through the use of agency-specific authentication scheme, he noted.

The UIDAI's e-Aadhaar QR Code reader software has been made available on the nodal body's website from 27 March 2018.

Offline verification facility would add yet another option to the exception-handling mechanism at the ground level for ensuring that no denials on Aadhaar-based services take place.