CAG report on UIDAI

Subject: Polity

Section: National bodies

Context: No archiving policy, deficient data management by UIDAI: CAG

What are the problems with UIDAI that have been identified by the CAG?

Data-matching: CAG has said the data of Aadhaar card holders have not been matched with their Aadhaar number even after 10 years in some cases.
Errors in authentication: Aadhaar numbers with poor quality biometrics induces authentication errors. UIDAI takes no responsibility for it and transfers the onus of updating the biometrics to the resident and also charges fees for it.
Shortfall in archiving: UIDAI did not have a data archiving policy, which is considered “a vital storage management best practice”.
Privacy concerns: UIDAI has not ensured that the applications or devices used by agencies or companies for authentication “were not capable of storing the personal information of the residents, which put the privacy of residents at risk”.
Issuance of multiple or duplicate Aadhaar cards: CAG has said that UIDAI generated Aadhaar numbers with incomplete information, which, along with the lack of proper documentation or poor quality biometrics, have resulted in multiple or duplicate Aadhaar cards being issued to the same person. Also notes there is no assurance that all the Aadhaar holders in the country are ‘Residents’ as defined in the Aadhaar Act.

Unique Identification Authority of India