The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has considered individual data privacy concerns and developed a new version of Aadhaar known as masked Aadhaar. Find out more about Masked Aadhaar in this article!
The UIDAI Authority issues 12-digit Aadhaar numbers randomly to Indian citizens who satisfy the Authority’s criteria for authentication. The masked aadhaar card is a different version of Aadhaar that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) developed after taking into account the issue of data privacy for individuals. In this card, you can choose to hide the first 8 digits of your Aadhaar number, leaving the last 4 digits exposed.
Any citizen of India is free to sign up to receive an Aadhaar number, irrespective of caste, creed, age, income, or gender. During the free enrollment procedure, a person who wishes to enrol must provide minimal biometric and demographic information.
Aadhaar enrollment is only required once, and once duplicates have been eliminated, only one Aadhaar number will remain. De-duplication of demographic and biometric data is how uniqueness is obtained.
e-Aadhar – What is it?
A password-protected electronic version of Aadhaar, which the appropriate UIDAI Authority has cryptographically signed, is known as an e-Aadhaar. By visiting the UIDAI website, you may easily and rapidly get your e-Aadhaar. You will see a download option for a “Masked Aadhaar” Card when you get your e-Aadhaar card. Let’s define Masked Aadhaar right now.
Masked Aadhar Card
You can choose to mask your Aadhaar number so that just the first 8 digits are shown, thereby leaving the remaining 4 digits exposed. Your face, demographic data, QR code, and other information are all preserved when you download a floppy copy of your Aadhaar. You don’t need to stress whether the disguised Aadhaar will be accepted or readable because UIDAI will digitally sign it. You may always utilise a Masked Aadhaar Card in place of your regular Aadhaar Card for safety and security.
In circumstances where you only need to present your Aadhaar as identity, you can use a masked Aadhaar. You may verify your picture by entering your Aadhaar and the four remaining digits of this special ID.
The Aadhaar Act further states that your Masked Aadhaar, as well as your e-Aadhaar, are both equally valid for a multitude of purposes. To prevent fraud or misuse of your Aadhaar, Masked Aadhaar claims to give you access to a secure website from which you may safely download your e-Aadhaar. Due to its special characteristics, it is almost hard to commit fraud or replicate an Aadhaar.
UIDAI is aware of your issue and has thus offered this Masked Aadhaar service. You can see the difference between a standard Aadhaar and a Masked Aadhaar in the image below. As you can see, even though they are identical on the conventional Aadhaar card, the first eight numbers of the Masked Aadhaar card are changed to XXXX XXXX.
Downloading Masked Aadhar Card
You may quickly download your e-Aadhaar or disguised Aadhaar card to your PC or laptop via the UIDAI website. You may masked Aadhaar download via one of three methods: your Aadhaar number, your Enrolment ID (EID), and your Virtual ID (VID). Let’s examine the procedures on each of those in turn:
Using Aadhar Number
If you possess your Aadhaar card, you can get masked aadhaar download or e-Aadhaar by following the steps below:
- Go to https://uidai.gov.in to access the UIDAI website
- Find the “My Aadhaar” option on that home page, and click “Download Masked Aadhaar”
- Complete your 12-digit UID or Aadhaar form (Unique Identification Number)
- Check the “I want a masked Aadhaar” option to get a disguised Aadhaar card
- Additionally, as was already mentioned, the first eight digits will be hidden, leaving just the last four to be seen. If you prefer not to click the “I want a masked Aadhaar” option, you may acquire your e-Aadhaar here with the complete Aadhaar number.
- After entering the captcha code, select “Send OTP”
Using Enrolment ID
You can use your Enrolment ID, or EID, in place of your Aadhaar card to download a disguised Aadhaar or an electronic Aadhaar when you do not even have your physical card. As per the following process:
- Enter a 14-digit EID number and choose “Enrolment ID or EID”
- Choose “I want a masked Aadhaar” to get your masked Aadhaar
- Click “Request OTP” after validating the captcha code to send an OTP to the registered mobile phone number
- Before downloading the Aadhaar that has been generated, enter and validate the OTP.
Using Virtual ID
The final method is creating a Virtual ID, or VID, and downloading a cloaked Aadhaar card. You must carry out the below actions:
- Locate the “Virtual ID (VID) Generator” option in the “My Aadhaar” section of the “Aadhaar Services” website
- One’s twelve-digit Aadhaar card number must be entered, and you must confirm it by typing the captcha code below
- To have the OTP sent to the registered mobile number on your account, click “Send OTP”
- Enter the OTP to create the Virtual ID
- You can utilise the Virtual ID to download Aadhaar that has been masked
- As illustrated below, choose “Virtual ID (VID)” from the “Download Masked Aadhaar” option under “My Aadhaar”
- Choose to conceal one’s e-Aadhaar card number after providing your Virtual ID
- By selecting “Submit OTP,” the captcha code procedure is finished
- Your enrolled mobile phone number will once again get an OTP
- You must input the OTP to be masked as Aadhaar or e-Aadhaar.
Password for Masked Aadhar
Using passwords to safeguard vital goods or documents is practical. Because UIDAI is aware of this idea, you can access the security features of disguised Aadhaar and password-protected uploads.
You’ll need to have an eight-digit Masked Aadhaar passcode to unlock it. Your name in the first four letters and the year of your birth as they appear on your Aadhaar card serve as the password. The first four letters of one’s name in CAPITAL, followed by your birth year in YYYY, make up the password.
Acceptance of Masked Aadhar
Masked aadhaar card may be used in several service delivery contexts and is just as valid as normal Aadhaar. It may be used as identification at airports, on trains, and when making hotel reservations. India accepts masked Aadhaar as identification proof when requested.
It is also essential to remember that Masked Aadhaar cannot be employed to get rewards under government welfare programmes like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). You must present your regular e-Aadhaar or a duplicate of your Aadhaar to participate in any such government assistance programmes.
You will be willing to receive benefits, financial aid, or even other services without limitations. To determine beneficiaries and remove fraud and duplication from their databases, most programmes demand an Aadhaar number. It is highly recommended that you provide them with one Aadhaar number needed to aid government representatives and yourself in getting the benefits.
Masked Aadhar Over Regular Aadhaar, Why?
Masked Aadhaar provides several advantages over ordinary Aadhaar cards. Some of the following are as follows:
- In masked Aadhaar, your actual Aadhaar number is disguised and can’t be accessed. However, in the case of normal Aadhaar cards, your total Aadhaar number is exposed and can be used by others.
- Masked Aadhaar cards can be downloaded at any time, whereas ordinary Aadhaar cards can be obtained by visiting an Aadhaar Enrolment Centre.
Conclusion
If you need assistance regarding masked aadhaar card or any other documental information, visit us at Vakilsearch! Our legal experts will try to help you out in every possible way.
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