Three weeks past its launch date, UIDAI remains silent on virtual ID

UIDAI issued a circular on January 10, promising the launch of a virtual ID for Aadhaar, tokenised systems, and limited KYC

Almost three weeks after the promised release date of the specifications of the much-awaited double-layer virtual ID (VID) technology for Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is silent on the roll-out.

The virtual ID, a 16-digit randomly generated number by the Aadhaar system, was supposed to be introduced by the UIDAI on March 1 and mandatorily deployed by companies using Aadhaar by June 1, according to a circular that announced the launch and was released on January 10 this year. 

The announcement in January came on the heels of multiple reports about Aadhaar numbers being leaked on government websites and