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In recent years, Aadhaar has emerged as one of India’s most commonly used forms of identification.
Aadhaar, managed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), contains individuals’ biometric and demographic data. It serves various purposes, such as accessing government subsidies, opening bank accounts, and filing taxes.
However, the widespread use of Aadhaar has raised concerns about protecting personal information and the risk of identity theft or data breaches. In response, the Indian government has issued guidelines on Aadhaar Masking to emphasise the importance of safeguarding individuals’ privacy.
What is a Masked Aadhaar Card? How is it different from a regular Aadhaar Card?
Masking the First Eight Digits:
Altering the Aadhaar number to conceal its initial eight digits, revealing only the last four.
Blocking the QR Code:
The QR code embedded in the Aadhaar card contains sensitive data such as the individual’s Aadhaar number, demographic details, and biometric information. By masking the QR code, businesses can ensure this information remains inaccessible to unauthorised parties. Furthermore, masking the QR code prevents the misuse of Aadhaar data, as it restricts individuals from accessing or sharing sensitive information without proper consent.
These actions can be done manually, which demands time and resources, or through seamless automated solutions like Cashfree Payments’ Aadhaar Masking API.
What are the regulatory guidelines to mask Aadhaar Card?
The regulations on Aadhaar masking are overseen by UIDAI, which is regulated by entities including RBI, IRDAI, TRAI, and SEBI. In May 2019, RBI amended its master directive for KYC guidelines for regulated entities. According to these guidelines, all regulated entities, regardless of industry or size, must mask the first eight digits of a customer’s Aadhaar number and QR code before storing them. Additionally, RBI has authorised using AI and automation technology to facilitate efficient Aadhaar masking. UIDAI governs Aadhaar and its regulations, with various regulators like RBI, IRDAI, TRAI, and SEBI ensuring compliance.
The regulations mandate that every business collecting Aadhaar cards mask the first eight digits of the Aadhaar number once the KYC is completed.
You can refer to the following regulations regarding Aadhaar masking.
- Supreme Court Judgement in 2018 on Aadhaar privacy concerns, “No entity, including a requesting entity, which is in possession of the Aadhaar number of an Aadhaar number holder, shall make public any database or record containing the Aadhaar numbers of individuals, unless the Aadhaar numbers have been redacted or blacked out through appropriate means, both in print and electronic form.”
- The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory on May 27, 2022, mandating all individuals to share masked versions of their Aadhaar ID instead of photocopies of original ones to prevent misuse of their personal information. This must be done by individuals and businesses before sharing or storing Aadhaar-related information in systems.
- UIDAI regulation on Aadhaar Masking dated 23 October 2018 states that a masked Aadhaar is a valid document for identity proof during account opening and KYC.
- RBI regulation on Aadhaar Masking: Master Direction – Know Your Customer (KYC) Direction, 2016 (Updated 29 May 2019): states the importance of masking Aadhaar Card that a customer presenting Aadhaar Card as identity proof should ‘…. redacts or blacks out his Aadhaar number through appropriate means where the authentication of Aadhaar number is not required.’
- IRDAI regulation on Aadhaar Masking dated 29 January 2019 allows a masked Aadhaar Card as one of the acceptable documents for KYC.
- SEBI regulation on Aadhaar Masking dated 24 April 2020 states that “every RI shall, where the investor submits his Aadhaar number, ensure that such investor to redact or blackout his Aadhaar number through appropriate means where the authentication of Aadhaar number is not required.”
What is the need for Aadhaar Masking?
1. For Aadhaar Card Holders:
Aadhaar Card Holders are advised to mask or cover the first eight digits of their Aadhaar number when sharing or using it, leaving only the last four digits visible. This measure helps prevent Aadhaar numbers from being misused and protects individuals from identity theft.
2. For Businesses :
Businesses are urged by the government to raise awareness among various stakeholders, including government agencies, banks, telecom companies, and other entities, about the importance of Aadhaar masking and the responsible use of Aadhaar data.
How can businesses mask Aadhaar?
While manual methods are demanding and require a lot of time and effort, automated solutions can help perform error-free Aadhaar Masking in real-time during the KYC and onboarding process.
Almost all businesses can utilise the Aadhaar Masking solution from Cashfree Payments and abide by the regulatory requirements in real time.
Healthcare
Mask Aadhaar numbers for medical records and insurance claim documents to protect patient privacy and data security.
Ecommerce
Provide an additional layer of security to vendors and customers during the onboarding and checkout processes respectively.
Banks and NBFCs
Protect the personal information of your customers during the KYC processes for account-related operations, loan sanctions and other financial services.
Insurance
Store Aadhaar efficiently while onboarding clients during insurance policy initiation/renewal and client settlements.
Aadhaar Masking Solution by Cashfree Payments
With Cashfree Payments’ Aadhaar Masking Solution, you can protect the privacy of your customers and stakeholders and stay compliant with UIDAI guidelines by masking Aadhaar instantly with minimal to near-zero efforts.
Plus, our solution API only passes and masks information for businesses; we do not store any data in our systems.
Plug and Play:
The Aadhaar Masking API is easy to integrate. You can also mask Aadhaar via our dashboard.
Instant Solution:
Get masked Aadhaar documents instantly during the point of capture of the same in your app or web. Save time and resources as our API takes care of masking.
Be Compliant:
Stay compliant via our powerful and accurate API to avoid penalties.
Affirm Security:
Safeguard user data privacy and security and foster customer and stakeholder trust.
Explore more: Cashfree Payments’ Verification Suite
Apart from the Aadhaar Masking solution, at Cashfree Payments, we offer holistic and end-to-end solutions for verification needs during onboarding and KYC, such as Bank Account Verification, PAN Verification, Aadhaar Card Verification and even for business verification such as GSTIN Verification and more!
Click to explore our full suite today.
FAQs
1. What are the regulatory guidelines for Aadhaar Masking?
The guidelines on Aadhaar masking require regulated entities to mask the first eight digits of a customer’s Aadhaar number and QR code before storage and accept them for account opening and KYC processes. This measure aims to protect individuals’ privacy and prevent misuse of Aadhaar data.
2. What is the masking code of Aadhaar?
The masking code of Aadhaar involves covering or obscuring the first eight digits of the Aadhaar number, leaving only the last four digits visible. This ensures that sensitive information is protected when Aadhaar is shared or used.
3. Is masked Aadhaar accepted everywhere?
Yes, masked Aadhaar is accepted in most places where it is required for verification or identification purposes.
4. How to get masked Aadhaar card as an individual?
You can get a masked Aadhaar card by visiting the official UIDAI website or through the mAadhaar app. During the process of downloading or printing your Aadhaar card, you’ll have the option to select the “Masked Aadhaar” option, which will provide you with a copy of your Aadhaar card with the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number masked.
5. What is the UIDAI regulation on Aadhaar masking dated 23 October 2018?
The UIDAI regulation dated 23 October 2018 mandates the masking of Aadhaar numbers by all entities handling Aadhaar data. This regulation emphasises the importance of protecting individuals’ privacy and preventing misuse of Aadhaar information.
