UIDAI rejects rumours around breach in Aadhar data base
New Delhi, Aug 5 (IBNS): The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Sunday rejected rumours around breach in Aadhaar database and confirmed that the helpline number could not steal data from mobile phones.
The fresh statement was issued by UIDAI just days after it had alerted mobile users against Aadhaar 'helpline number' appearing in their contact list.
#PressStatement
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
In view of the attempts by few Aadhaar opponents to spread rumours and scare mongering against Aadhaar in the backdrop of appearance of an old Aadhaar helpline number in mobile phones... 1/n
Tech major Google on Saturday clarified that it was a coding flaw which caused a defunct UIDAI helpline number to appear in the contact lists of mobile phones operating on the Android operating system.
...it may be noted that the Google has clarified that UIDAI’s old contact number 18003001947 was added by it “inadvertently” along with police/fire number 112 in 2014 and has since been continuing through sync mechanism. It has also expressed its regret for the same. 2/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
"It must be clearly understood that by merely having a helpline number that, too, an outdated one, on a mobile/smartphone, no harm can be caused. Just by a helpline number in a mobile’s contact list the data stored on the mobile phone cannot be stolen. 9/n," read a statement issued by UIDAI.
Google has also assured that it will fix this inadvertent error in their next release and stated that the users may, if they wish, can delete the number. 3/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
It said vested interests used Google’s inadvertent act on its helpline number in a bid to create fear among people.
UIDAI had earlier clarified and emphasised that it had not asked any agency whatsoever to include its helpline number in the mobile phones. 4/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
UIDAI said the move was also made to tarnish the image of Aadhaar.
UIDAI expects that Google, a large digital platform provider, will look into this which caused confusion in the minds of people against India’s credible identity system and will exercise due care so that such things are not repeated in future. 5/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
"However, UIDAI condemns the vested interests who tried to misuse Google’s 'inadvertent' act as an opportunity to spread rumours and go around fear-mongering against Aadhaar," it tweeted.
However, UIDAI condemns the vested interests who tried to misuse Google’s “inadvertent” act as an opportunity to spread rumours and go around fear-mongering against Aadhaar. 6/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
"UIDAI expects that Google, a large digital platform provider, will look into this which caused confusion in the minds of people against India’s credible identity system and will exercise due care so that such things are not repeated in future," it said.
Rumours are being floated in some social media such as Twitter and WhatsApp that this number has “mysteriously popped up on mobile devices and will be harmful, Aadhaar data has been breached, etc., and therefore, the helpline number should be deleted immediately”. 7/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
Google on Saturday assured mobile phone users that the event did not lead to any kind of unauthorised access to their Android devices.
This is totally false propaganda and is nothing but scare-mongering against Aadhaar by vested interests trying to exploit Google’s act to spread misinformation about Aadhaar by scaring people. 8/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
"Our internal review has revealed that in 2014, the then UIDAI helpline number and the 112 distress helpline number were inadvertently coded into the SetUp wizard of the Android release given to OEMs for use in India and has remained there since," a Google spokesperson told NDTV Gadget 360.
It must be clearly understood that by merely having a helpline number that, too, an outdated one, on a mobile/smartphone, no harm can be caused. Just by a helpline number in a mobile’s contact list the data stored on the mobile phone cannot be stolen. 9/n
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 5, 2018
"Since the numbers get listed on a user's contact list, these get transferred accordingly to the contacts on any new device. We are sorry for any concern that this might have caused, and would like to assure everyone that this is not a situation of any unauthorised access of their Android devices. Users can manually delete the number from their devices," the spokesperson told the news channel.
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