Aadhaar data fully safe and secure, no breach possible, says UIDAI

Unique Identification Authority of India on Thursday denied breach or leak of Aadhaar data after a newspaper reported it bought unrestricted access to the details of over one billion Aadhaar numbers -- for just Rs 500. "The Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure," the authority said in a statement, calling the report in The Tribune "a case of misreporting". "UIDAI assures that there has not been any Aadhaar data breach," the statement said, adding that the data was secure with a "robust uncompromised security". The authority said it had given search facility for the purpose of grievance redressal to designated personnel and state government officials to help residents only by entering their 12-digit Aadhaar numbers. The Aadhaar database "remains fully safe and secure with highest encryption at UIDAI and mere display of demographic information cannot be misused without biometrics".