New Delhi: Eliminating the need to submit physical copies of Aadhaar for verification or visiting Aadhaar centers for updating personal details, the government Wednesday launched the new Aadhaar app that will let people manage and verify their identities digitally.Aadhaar details will be stored securely on mobile devices, eliminating the need to carry and submit a physical card for the purposes of verification. Changes to addresses and mobile numbers can also now be made in minutes, subject to Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) confirmation.Users will also be able to monitor their authentication history, meaning they will be able to keep a record of the places where their Aadhaar details have been used for verification, enhancing oversight and control over the use of their digital identity.At the event to unveil the new app, electronics and IT secretary S Krishnan said govt is conscious of privacy concerns and has built the platform around the principle of data minimization and reports of Aadhaar data leaks in the past had stemmed largely from excessive data collection by third parties and not due to breaches in the central database.“Collection of Aadhaar data by these third parties creates vulnerability. This is what we are trying to minimize,” Krishnan further added.The app allows management of up to five Aadhaar profiles on a single device linked to the same phone number. It provides users with the ability to selectively share personal information, ensuring only the necessary details are disclosed and provides a QR code identity scan feature which will enable users to scan it at authorized terminals to confirm their identity securely and quickly.
