UIDAI has launched a new face authentication software development kit (SDK) aimed at making Aadhaar authentication easier for partner institutions while addressing geofencing restrictions that have affected Indians travelling or living overseas.
The announcement was made by Neelkanth Mishra, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), during a session titled “Digital Identity and Beyond”.
The new SDK will enable partner banks and businesses to conduct Aadhaar authentication locally on their own servers instead of routing authentication requests through UIDAI’s central systems. According to Mishra, this approach allows institutions to secure their own authentication processes while limiting exposure to UIDAI’s core infrastructure.
“The problem with removing geofencing is, then you are vulnerable,” Mishra said, highlighting the security considerations involved in opening Aadhaar authentication beyond existing geographic restrictions. He added that Aadhaar is critical infrastructure and faces hundreds of attacks every day, requiring safeguards to protect the ecosystem.
Aadhaar authentication volumes have increased significantly, rising from around seven crore transactions a day a few years ago to roughly 10 crore currently. UIDAI is preparing its infrastructure to support between 25 crore and 30 crore authentications each day.
More than 600 entities currently use the Aadhaar platform, while the Aadhaar app is approaching six crore downloads. Mishra also pointed to growing institutional adoption, citing the Telangana Police’s requirement for the Aadhaar app for several verification processes.
“Aadhaar is only a database. We make sure that we are very good at what we do, but we also don’t want any scoping,” Mishra added, adding that UIDAI’s focus is on securely managing identity data and providing it as safe, secure and trusted infrastructure.
Jitendra Gupta, Founder and CEO, Jupiter, said Aadhaar has been a significant enabler for the FinTech industry by helping reduce friction in customer onboarding and supporting digital-first experiences.
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