Aadhaar issuing authority UIDAI has extended the deadline for the implementation of virtual IDs to January-end, reports Mint. Earlier this deadline was October 31st. The move comes in the wake of various organisations and departments requesting UIDAI for more time to complete the migration to the new system as they were at various stages of implementation of the virtual ID, UID token and limited e-KYC. What is Virtual ID? The virtual ID is a 16-digit random number mapped with the Aadhaar number which was introduced so that the actual 12-digit Aadhaar number need not be shared for authenticating identity. It can only be generated, replaced or revoked by the Aadhaar-number holder. It is part of UIDAI’s initiative to reinforce the privacy of Aadhaar holders by making it more difficult for agencies to get access to the Aadhaar number. Virtual ID was introduced in January this year, in the wake of an Aadhaar data breach, reported by The Tribune earlier this year. The UIDAI also classified all registered authentication agencies into two groups - global and local. An AUA (authentication user agency) may be a government, public or a private legal agency registered in India, which uses Aadhaar authentication services provided by the UIDAI. All banks, including commercial banks, payment banks, regional banks, rural banks, cooperative banks, small finance banks, life insurance companies, housing finance companies and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), have been categorized as global AUAs. Prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), telecom operators and non-life insurance…
