What is DigiLocker and does it keep your data safe?

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Awareness in IT, COMPUTER

Context:

10th and 12th standard students from the CISCE board as well as 10th standard students from the State Board of Tamil Nadu can get their 2024 results from DigiLocker.

What is Digilocker?

DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme.
The DigiLocker platform, launched in 2015, operates as an app to store users’ digital records.
The app can be used when applying for a passport, reviewing marksheets, or proving one’s identity during travel.
DigiLocker is a digitization service provided by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under its Digital India initiative.
DigiLocker allows access to digital versions of various documents including driver’s licenses, vehicle registration certificates and academic mark sheets.
DgiLocker was not mandatory in order to get a new passport

Rule 9A:

The issued documents in DigiLocker system are deemed to be at par with original physical documents as per Rule 9A of the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016.

Why is there an increased adoption rate of Digilocker?

DigiLocker is a paperless solution meant to ensure that a user can access the latest and updated versions of their documents online in order to prove their identity and their credentials at any given moment.
This app helps eliminate the need to carry separate sets of documents while they are on the move.

How secure is DigiLocker?

It is a government approved application and is ideally maintained with strict security protocols framed by officials.
It has standard security measures in place including 2048 Bit RSA SSL encryption, multi-factor authentication (OTP verification), consent systems, timed log outs, and security audits.
No DigiLocker data is shared with third parties and data is encrypted in transit.