Govt websites leak Aadhaar data! New safeguards to be brought into action

Off lately, there have been a number of cases where Aadhaar data was leaked from government websites. To prevent further such cases, the central government has put in new safeguards, under which all ministries have been directed to encrypt all Aadhaar data and personal financial details. Also, all government departments are asked to deploy one official responsible for Aadhaar data protection.

Other than this, officials are also being made aware of the legal consequences of such data breach.

The ministry of electronics and information technology has written to all departments, reminding them about the need of better data security.

Since Aadhaar cards are now being linked to a person's bank account, the security is even more important in terms of financial risks a breach can pose to an individual.

The ministries have been given a set of 27 dos and 9 don'ts, including instructions on masking Aadhaar data and bank details and encrypting data.

Other than this, regular audits have also been mandated to avoid breaches.