UIDAI Bans Aadhaar Photocopies: Hotels Must Switch to Paperless QR & App Verification

For a long time, it has been a common practice for hotels and event planners to require their guests to send a photocopy of their Aadhaar card, either by Xerox or WhatsApp, for verification purposes. Now, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has selected to become even stricter with the rules in a bid to enhance Aadhaar security and the privacy of the users.

As per the new directive, hotels, event organizers, and alike will not be able to carry out or keep hard copies of Aadhaar identity cards. Rather, these companies have to use paperless ways for verification which will be done by QR code scanning or a new Aadhaar-based app once registered.

The objective of this action is to protect the very sensitive data of the individuals. There was a chance of the photocopies being mismanaged or even lost thereby putting the customer data at the risk of being misused. By implementing digital verification, UIDAI assures that the Aadhaar details of the guests will not only be secured but also be private.

Coercive Registration & Tech Upgrades

UIDAI Chief Executive Officer Bhuvanesh Kumar declared that it has become a necessity for businesses like hotels and event organizers that depend on Aadhaar-based offline verification to register with UIDAI. After the registration, the businesses will have access to APIs which make it possible to upgrade their systems for the secure Aadhaar verification process without having storage of the hard copies.

Apart from that, UIDAI is currently in the beta phase of testing a new application that provides app-to-app Aadhaar verification. This approach has the advantage of not having to link up to the central Aadhaar database server for every single verification instance which, in turn, makes the whole process quicker, safer, and more private. The application will be of great help in places like airports, retail shops, and other places where offline verification is required.

Ramifications for Market Players and Clients

Not only will companies like OYO and other hotel chains, but also event organizers have to implement these paperless systems as soon as the regulation comes into effect. With this transition, customer identification via tech will be much faster and more comfortable, and at the same time, sensitive Aadhaar imprints will remain protected.

UIDAI’s move signifies a great milestone in the journey toward digitization and privacy enhancement, consequently the risk of identity theft and personal data being misapplied in India is decreased.