Minors Having Aadhaar Can’t Opt Out After 18; Virtual ID For Aadhaar Rolls Out!

A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra is right now hearing petitions and arguments both for and against Aadhaar in India.

The petitioners have claimed that Aadhaar is violating privacy, and its implementation defies Indian constitution’s basic foundations.

In this case, UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey has provided several replies to the bench, which has been shared by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.

One of the shocking fact revealed is that minors having Aadhaar can’t opt out, once they turn 18.

We will soon share more interesting facts from the replies.

Meanwhile, UIDAI has rolled out the virtual ID program, which has been designed to safeguard Aadhaar details of the users.

Sorry Minors, You Can’t Opt Out Of Aadhaar!

In February, we had reported about Bal Aadhaar – Aadhaar card for minors which was designed in blue colour.

Now, in front of the Supreme Court, it has been revealed that once minors have been enrolled into Aadhaar, they can’t opt out when they turn 18 years.

This particular fact was not shared earlier.

However, in case an 18-year-old Indian citizen, whose Bal Aadhaar is already made, wishes to lock their Aadhaar, they can do.

This provision is under Regulation 11 of the Aadhaar (Authentication) Regulations, 2016, for all Aadhaar card holders.

The reply from UIDAI Chief said,

“However, residents have the option of permanently locking their biometrics and only temporarily unlocking it when needed for biometric authentication as per Regulation 11 of the Aadhaar (Authentication) Regulations, 2016,”

Biometric Failure Rate For Aadhaar

The replies also stated that failure rate for biometrics access for Aadhaar card holders is 6% for fingerprint and 8.5% for Iris scan.

This means out of 100, Aadhaar biometric of 6 people won’t match. This means inconvenience for several people.

Virtual ID Rolls Out For Aadhaar

Earlier this year, UIDAI had announced the introduction of Virtual ID for Aadhaar card holders, which masked the actual Aadhaar number, and used a temporary ID for any authentication.

Now, the system has been put in place, and the Virtual IDs can be now generated for any authentication.

While announcing this concept of Virtual ID, UIDAI had said

“The Aadhaar number being the permanent ID for life, there is need to provide a mechanism to ensure its continued use while optimally protecting the collection and storage in many databases,”

The 16 digit Virtual ID can be generated from UIDAI’s official website or mAadhaar app.

Every new ID generated will have a shelf life, as determined by the user.

We will keep you updated, as we receive more information about Aadhaar.