UIDAI sets guidelines for updating biometrics of children’s Aadhaar

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued new guidelines for the Aadhaar digital ID, Times of India reports.

According to a series of Twitter posts from the UIDAI official account, Baal Aadhaar holders (children under the age of five) will have to keep their biometric information updated as they grow up.

For context, registering for the Baal Aadhaar digital ID and its blue children’s card does not require parents to present biometric information to enroll their children.

Once they reach five, however, children will now have to enroll their biometric information and then regularly update it until they turn 15.

To update Baal Aadhaar biometric information, parents must book an appointment and visit an Aadhaar center with their children and the necessary documentation. Parents must submit their Aadhaar as part of the update process.

The ID automatically becomes invalid if the child’s biometric information is not  updated at five years old.

An audit from India’s Comptroller and Auditor General earlier this year questioned the use of parents’ biometrics to prove the identity of Aadhaar applications for children below five years old.

The news comes weeks after Indian authorities said the issuance of Aadhaar numbers linked to birth certificates for children will be possible in all states of the federation in the next few months.

Iris biometrics appear to be stable enough in children to be useful for identity verification over time, but scientists are still evaluating other modalities to determine how effective they are.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometric enrollment  |  biometric identifiers  |  biometrics  |  children  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  India  |  UIDAI