Aadhaar data leaks push Centre to take safety measures

A villager goes through the process of a fingerprint scanner for the Unique Identification (UID) database system at an enrolment centre at Merta district in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan February 22, 2013. In a more ambitious version of programmes that have slashed poverty in Brazil and Mexico, the Indian government has begun to use the UID database, known as Aadhaar, to make direct cash transfers to the poor, in an attempt to cut out frauds who siphon billions of dollars from welfare schemes. Picture taken February 22, 2013. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY POVERTY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)

The central government has imposed new security measures to encrypt Aadhaar data on state websites after cases of data breaches came to light.

The Centre has asked every ministry to encrypt data related to Aadhaar and personal financial details, Economic Times reported.

Sensitisation of government officials are being held in this regard as the new Aadhaar act prohibits publishing of the biometric-based and 12-digit long unique identification number. The penalty for a breach can lead to imprisonment. Additionally, every state department will have an official responsible for protecting Aadhaar-related data from now on.

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In April, Hindustan Times had reported leak of more than a million Aadhar numbers from a Jharkhand government website. It was followed by a few more of such data breaches from other government sites.

Now, the Centre has given directions on Aadhaar data handling. The guidelines make knowledge about the 2016 Aadhaar act mandatory. It also includes directions to assign an official from each department with responsibility of data protection, to conduct regular audits, to store unique Aadhaar numbers only under encryption, among other things.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has written to all departments to act towards better protection of confidential data in compliance with the IT Act of 2000 and Aadhar Act of 2016. The letter said, "It has come to notice there have been instances wherein personal identity or information of residents, along with Aadhaar numbers and demographic information, and other sensitive personal data such as bank account details etc… have been published online and is accessible through an easy online search.”