National Desk:
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is considering issuing Aadhaar cards that display only the cardholder’s photograph and a QR code, in order to prevent the misuse of personal data and to discourage offline verification.

During an open online conference held for a new Aadhaar-related mobile application, UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said that the authority is planning to introduce a new rule in December. The proposed rule aims to discourage offline verification by entities such as hotels and event organizers, and to strengthen age-verification processes while ensuring the privacy of individuals using Aadhaar.

Kumar stated:

“We are considering why there is a need to print any other details on the card. It should carry only the photograph and the QR code. If we print more information, people will assume it is meant for validation, and those who know how to misuse it will continue to do so.”

Under the Aadhaar Act, no individual’s Aadhaar number or biometric data can be collected, used, or stored for offline verification. However, many institutions continue to collect and store photocopies of Aadhaar cards.