UIDAI to introduce face recognition mode for Aadhaar authentication

January 15, 2018

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has decided to introduce face recognition as another means for Aadhaar authentication along with other modes such as fingerprint and iris scan, for giving more choices to the users. The citizens will be able to avail this measure from July 1, 2018. This face recognition mode will be used in “ fusion” with the existing modes of authentication such as fingerprints, iris and OTP (one-time password). Several complaints were made by the senior citizens and others about the mismatch of biometric due to fading fingerprints. As a result, the UIDAI released a notification on Monday, stating that, & quot at the time of Aadhaar enrolment, a photo of the face of that person is also captured. And hence, to provide inclusive authentication, face photo can also be leveraged to verify the identity of an Aadhaar number holder.& quot The UIDAI further said that as face photo is already available in UIDAI database there is no need to capture any new data. And since camera is now available on laptops and mobile phones, the facial capture is easily feasible for authentication agencies without needing any additional hardware. The UIDAI is all set to release the necessary details of the implementation of this new mode by March 1, 2018. The citizens will not be required to go to the Aadhaar center again for the authentication of their face recognition details. The UIDAI will be tapping into its database for this feature. According to UIDAI, more than 1,510 crore authentications have been performed as on date, out of which more than 1,045 crore are biometric authentications. However, due to the ongoing debate about the Aadhaar data breach, the UIDAI is trying all possible methods to protect the personal details of the citizens. Just last week only it had made an announcement about the introduction of “ virtual ID” , which can be used by the citizens in place of their Aadhaar numbers. This new feature of face recognition is also expected to enhance the security of the personal details of users.