The Department of Telecom has now allowed the use of Aadhaar Card or Virtual ID for the online verification (e-KYC process) of mobile connections with effect from 29th September 2020.
In the e-KYC based process, the Aadhaar Authentication will now be authorized online using the customer’s Aadhaar number or virtual ID and biometrics to provide his/her demographic data to the telecom operator. Moreover, for the identification purpose of the customer using this process, the biometric details, Aadhaar Number, or the Virtual ID can be stored in the database of the licensees or its authorized point of sale (POS).
In the letter, the DoT also states that ‘’Aadhaar or Virtual ID shall also be applied as an alternate process for all the licensed service areas including J&K, North East, and Assam’’.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of India in 2018 has passed an order to ban the use of Aadhaar number by any other private entities or agencies due to security reasons and the absence of a legal framework.
