(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI ) has approved a new rule that will require entities like hotels and event organisers to register with the authority if they want to use Aadhaar to verify the identities of customers.

This move is meant to discourage places from taking photocopies of Aadhaar cards of customers and storing them in physical form, as these can be misused. Such practices are also in contravention of the present Aadhaar Act.

How will this work?

UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told PTI that the new rule will give these entities access to a new technology that will allow them to verify individuals by scanning a QR code or by connecting with the new Aadhaar app, which is currently under development.

“The new rule has been approved by the authority and will be notified soon. It will mandate registration of offline verification-seeking entities like hotels, event organisers. The objective is to discourage paper-based Aadhaar verification,” Kumar said.

This latest verification system will also help in avoiding delays caused by outages in the intermediate servers that connect to the central Aadhaar database, ensuring smoother processing of various services.

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However, for entities who prefer offline verification, the authority will give them access to an API (application programming interface) through which they can update their system for Aadhaar verification, PTI reported.

UIDAI is beta-testing a new app that will enable app-to-app verification without requiring to connect with the central Aadhaar database server for every verification request.

Where can a person use the new Aadhar app?

The access to the new app won't be limited to a few entities, as it can also be used by airports, shops that need to sell age-appropriate products, and other places that require Aadhaar-based verification.

“The ease of verification will enhance offline verification without the use of paper while maintaining privacy of users or any risk of their Aadhaar data getting leaked for misuse,” Kumar told PTI.

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The new app is expected to further improve Aadhaar authentication service in line with Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which will be completely operational within the next 18 months.

It is a significant move towards providing users the facility to update their address proof documents on the new app with ease, as well as for adding other family members on the same app who don't own a mobile phone.

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