Face-recognition based authentication for Aadhaar users from July 1

New Delhi: Aadhaar-issuing authority Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Monday announced face- recognition based authentication for Aadhaar users for an additional layer of protection against outside intrusions or breach.

The new authentication method will be launched by July 1, 2018. UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey has tweeted that the new authentication measure will help all elderly or other facing issues with fingerprint authentication.

@UIDAI introduces yet another landmark technology for authentication - Face Authentication. #AadhaarFaceAuth will help all elderly or others facing issues with fingerprint authentication. Service to be launched by 1 July 2018. — CEO UIDAI (@ceo_uidai) January 15, 2018

As of now, two modes of biometric authentication, fingerprint authentication and iris authentication, are allowed under Aadhaar.

The face recognition as additional means of Aadhaar authentication will be used in combination with existing ways such as fingerprint or iris scan, UIDAI said.

"The face authentication provides additional option for all residents to have inclusive authentication. It shall be allowed only in fusion mode along with one more authentication factor combined with either fingerprint or iris or OTP to be able to successfully authenticate an Aadhaar number holder," it added.

The new method will also be allowed "on need basis".

“To provide inclusive authentication, face photo can also be leveraged to verify the identity of a Aadhaar number holder. While Aadhaar Authentication API had the technical provision of sending photo of the face, this option is currently not enabled within CIDR,” a UIDAI circular said.

The UIDAI, last week, announced the biggest overhaul of the system by allowing Aadhaar owners to create and use a virtual ID to avoid sharing their unique identity numbers, when using government and other services.

Under the new system, at the user-end, the Aadhaar holder will have the choice not to share their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication. Instead, a random 16-digit Virtual ID number would be generated and could be used in lieu of Aadhaar with the authorised agency like banks and telecom service providers.

VID will be a temporary, revocable 16-digit random number mapped with the Aadhaar number. It will not be possible to derive Aadhaar number from VID.

As many as 119 crore biometric identifiers have been issued so far, and Aadhaar is required as an identity proof of residents by various government and non-government entities.

For instance, the government has made it mandatory for verifying bank accounts and PAN to weed out black money and bring unaccounted wealth to book.

The same for SIM cards has been mandated to establish the identity of mobile phone users.

With Agency Inputs