India Defends Aadhaar Technology Amidst Moody’s Concerns
Confidence in Aadhaar Technology Reaffirmed
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has vehemently defended the integrity of its Aadhaar technology in response to concerns raised by Moody’s Investors Service, a US-based rating agency. Moody’s had expressed doubts regarding Aadhaar’s authorization processes and the reliability of its biometric features.
Strong Rebuttal from UIDAI
UIDAI responded with a robust rebuttal, stating, “A certain investor service has, without citing any evidence or basis, made sweeping assertions against Aadhaar, the most trusted digital ID in the world. Over the last decade, over a billion Indians have expressed their trust in Aadhaar by using it to authenticate themselves over 100 billion times.”
Lack of Substantiated Claims
The Union Ministry of Electronic and IT joined the defense, highlighting that Moody’s report lacked both primary and secondary data or research to support its opinions. Moody’s had raised concerns about service denials within Aadhaar’s system and questioned the reliability of biometric technologies, especially for manual laborers.
Addressing Concerns
In response to these concerns, the ministry clarified that payments to workers under schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are made by directly crediting money to their accounts, without requiring biometric authentication. Additionally, the government pointed out that biometric submissions could be contactless, using methods such as face authentication and iris authentication. Mobile OTP is also available for many use cases.
Security and Privacy
Regarding security and privacy vulnerabilities, the government asserted that there have been no reported breaches in the Aadhaar database to date. They emphasized that this fact has been communicated repeatedly in response to questions posed in Parliament.
Global Recognition
The government highlighted that global institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have praised the role of Aadhaar. Furthermore, the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), in a report prepared by the World Bank, acknowledged the pivotal role of Aadhaar in financial inclusion, alongside Jan Dhan bank accounts and mobile phones. This trio is credited with significantly increasing the ownership of transaction accounts among adults in India.
Aadhaar Technology
The Aadhaar card, issued by UIDAI, is linked to an individual’s unique number, which is derived from their fingerprints, face, and eye scan. It is a cornerstone of digital identity and plays a crucial role in various government schemes and financial services across India.
