New Delhi, Jan 15:
The Unique Identification Authority of India has decided to enable Face
Authentication by July 1 this year for validating Aadhaar cards.
This move comes on the back of reports that beneficiaries of government
schemes were not able to avail themselves of their entitlements in the
absence of Aadhaar authentication.
Currently, the UIDAI provides two modes of biometric verification: fingerprint authentication and iris authentication.
But, face authentication will be allowed only in fusion mode along with
one more authentication factor — either fingerprint or iris or a One
Time Password so as to successfully authenticate an Aadhaar number
holder. Face authentication will only be allowed on a “need” basis.
In other words, the face recognition authentication will have to be
backed by at least one other form of identity authentication.
“While most residents are able to authenticate using fingerprint or iris
authentication, some residents face difficulty in successfully using
biometric authentication using one of the modalities. Face
authentication provides an additional option for all residents to have
inclusive authentication,” an official release said.
This facility will help in inclusive authentication of those who are not
able to biometrically authenticate their Aadhaar numbers because their
fingerprints are worn out owing to old age or hard working conditions,
the statement added. The UIDAI said that it would release details for
implementation of Face Authentication by the Authentication User
Agencies (AUAs) by March 1, 2018.
Earlier this month, the UIDAI had attempted to strengthen its security
protocols with the introduction of temporary virtual IDs against the
Aadhaar numbers.
The Authority had said that it would not be possible to trace an Aadhaar
number from the temporary number (virtual ID). This VID can only be
generated by the Aadhaar card holder and will be valid to make use of
all services that require an Aadhaar number, for a limited amount of
time.
