India's UIDAI has introduced a new concept of 'Virtual ID' which Aadhaar-card holder can generate from its website and give for various purposes, including SIM verification, instead of sharing the actual 12-digit biometric ID.This will give the users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication.The Virtual ID, which would be a random 16-digit number, together with biometrics of the user would give any authorised agency like a mobile company, limited details like name, address and photograph, which are enough for any verification.A user can generate as many Virtual IDs as he or she wants. The older ID gets automatically cancelled once a fresh one is generated.The UIDAI will come up with the software to introduce the Virtual ID from March 1. It will be compulsory for all agencies that undertake authentication to accept the Virtual ID from their users from June 1, 2018.UIDAI has also introduced the concept of 'limited KYC' under which it will only provide need-based or limited details of a user to an authorised agency that is providing a particular service, according to sources.
UIDAI introduces 'Virtual ID’
