Now, Virtual ID Can be Used in Place of Aadhaar to Get New SIM Card, Says DoT

According to a notice by DoT, consumers will have an option to give their Aadhaar number or the more secure Virtual IDs.

New Delhi, June 13: The telecom department has instructed telecom service providers to allow consumers to share their Virtual ID in lieu of Aadhaar to get news SIMs or verify existing ones.

According to a notice by the Department of Telecom (DoT), the consumers will have an option to give their Aadhaar number or the more secure Virtual IDs.

The DoT has instructed telecom operators to tweak their systems and networks to enable the use of Virtual IDs in lieu of Aadhaar number and migrate to the ‘limited KYC’ mechanism for mobile subscribers.

The latest move is in line with the ensuing implementation of the new Virtual ID system from July 1, which users can quote instead of their Aadhaar number.

The Virtual ID system — a random 16-digit number mapped to a person’s Aadhaar number — is scheduled to be fully operational from next month. It aims to strengthen the privacy and security of Aadhaar data amid heightened concerns around the collection and storage of personal and demographic information of individuals.

“…All licensees shall implement the ….Changes proposed by the UIDAI regarding use of Virtual ID as an alternative of Aadhaar number, UID tokens and limited KYC concept in their system/networks subject to the adherence of existing Aadhaar based eKYC processes for issuing new mobile connection to subscribers and re-verification of existing mobile subscribers,” a notification by the Department of Telecom (DoT) has said.

According to a report by Zee Business, the DoT has allowed consumers to generate a virtual ID instead of the Aadhaar number and give it to the operator for verification purposes. For this purpose, the telecom companies will be provided with a unique UID token through which they will be able to complete the verification process from the virtual ID provided by the consumer.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has welcomed the move, saying that this will provide convenience and confidence to subscribers without having the fear of giving their Aadhaar number.

“We believe that this step will provide convenience and confidence to the subscribers to get an authentic verification conducted without having the fear of giving their Aadhaar number,” said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents all carriers.

“The DoT’s circular dated 12th June 2018 is based on UIDAI instructions which is another step to ensure the customers’ privacy. Telcos are making best efforts to make the necessary updates in their IT systems to implement the suggested changes by July 1, 2018,” he added.

The telcos will also be required to make necessary changes in their systems to replace the Aadhaar numbers of existing subscribers within the database with UID tokens.

Further, it has removed Aadhaar number from various parametres required to be included in the subscriber database, and introduced the 72-character UID token as a line item.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the Aadhaar issuing body, had earlier informed the Telecom Department that all operators will have access to “limited KYC” and that these service providers will not store Aadhaar number or Virtual ID of the customer while sending authentication or eKYC requests.