Slamming attempts to tarnish the image of Aadhaar, UIDAI sternly states ‘mysterious number’ cannot steal data

New Delhi, August 6: Clarifying the rumors creating controversy on the placement of Aadhaar card toll-free number in users' phonebooks across India, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said on August 5 said vested interests used Google’s “inadvertent” act on its helpline number to create fear and tarnish the image of Aadhaar while emphasizing that a number stored in the contact list cannot steal data from a mobile phone.

Clarifying the rumors spreading pertaining to the Aadhaar toll-free number, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) informed that Google has clarified that UIDAI’s old helpline number 1800-300-1947 was added by it inadvertently along with police and fire number in mobile phones and has since been continuing through sync mechanism.

 

It said that just by a helpline number in a mobile’s contact list the data stored on the mobile phone cannot be stolen and therefore, there should be no panic to the number as no harm will be caused. It said people may it with UIDAI’s new helpline number 1947.

UIDAI has earlier clarified and emphasized that it has not asked any agency whatsoever to include its helpline number in the mobile phones and also added that merely adding a phone number cannot steal data in the phone.

 

Google has already explained that UIDAI's old contact number was added by it inadvertently along with police and fire number in 2014 and has since been continuing through the sync mechanism. UIDAI said, rumors about Aadhaar database being broken are completely false and baseless and are rejected with all condemnation that it deserves.

 

The Aadhaar authority also said that a number stored in the contact list cannot steal data from a mobile phone. The statement comes days after an old helpline number of UIDAI mysteriously started showing on smartphones of hundreds of users.

 

This Aadhaar controversy triggered when in the last week, a French security expert who goes under the pseudonym Elliot Alderson had tweeted, "Hi @UIDAI, Many people, with different provider, with and without an #Aadhaar card, with and without the mAadhaar app installed, noticed that your phone number is predefined in their contact list by default and so without their knowledge. Can you explain why?"

 

Refuting the rumored controversy UIDAI had issued a statement stating “#In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll-free no. 1800-300-1947 in the contact list of Android phones. It is clarified that UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever. It is emphasized that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll-free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public. Our valid Toll-free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years. UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers.”