The Tribune newspaper said it had been able to buy login credentials to the Aadhaar database, allowing it to acquire information such as the names, telephone numbers and home addresses of millions of people. The “case appears to be an instance of misuse,” said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which runs the biometric identity card scheme, the world’s largest. The agency said it had initiated a police complaint against the people responsible for selling the access, but did not identify them. The database incorporates fingerprints and iris scans, besides basic information details. “Mere display of demographic information can’t be misused without biometrics,” it added, ruling out financial fraud, saying access to bank accounts required further authentication that involved fingerprint and iris scans.

Source: The Express Tribune January 04, 2018 15:22 UTC