UIDAI’s Aadhaar Helpline Number Is Getting Mysteriously Added To Your Contact List And Nobody Knows How
The UIDAI recently changed its helpline number recently. (Representational)
NEW DELHI:
Thousands of smartphone users in India woke up puzzled on Friday with a Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) toll-free helpline number saved in their phonebooks by default.
UIDAI, which is yet to issue an official statement on this, has replaced the earlier helpline number — 1800-300-1947 — with the new number — 1947, which got into people’s phonebooks without their consent.
“This is no joke as it is on my phone too. I didn’t save this number. Check your phone asap, feeling worried,” a user tweeted with a screenshot.
The Aadhaar helpline numeber, 1800-300-1947, got into people’s phonebooks without their consent.
A French security expert, Elliot Alderson, asked UIDAI on Twitter: “Many people, with
Amid all the debate and confusion about Aadhaar, and its data safety, thanks to TRAI Chairman RS Sharma’s recent adventure on Twitter, now it has emerged that UIDAI’s Aadhaar Helpline number is being automatically added to the contact list on people’s phones.
Across brands and carriers, the number has been added under the name UIDAI and has listed the toll free number 1800-300-1947 with the contact.
REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
Since it was first reported by French cyber security expert Elliot Alderson on Twitter on Thursday, we at Indiatimes searched across mobile networks and manufactures and found that a good majority of them do have it already saved on their devices. While most of the phones we checked were android, a couple of iPhone users also said they too have it.
Elliot Alderson@fs0c131yHi @UIDAI,
Many people, with different provider, with and without an #Aadhaar card, with and without the mAadhaar app installed, noticed that your phone number is predefined in their contact list by default and so without their knowledge. Can you explain why?
Regards,
- A day after an alleged contact number of UIDAI mysteriously crept into the mobile phones of millions of Indians, the Unique Identification Authority of India, which runs the Aadhaar project, denied asking any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility. In a press statement on Friday, UIDAI said that its number has not changed and remains to be the same. “#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… ,” it said in a tweet.“… It is clarified that, UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever,” UIDAI clarified in another tweet. It emphasised that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll-free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public. “Our valid Toll free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years,” it said.
In another tweet, UIDAI reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers.
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… 1/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… 1/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
… It is clarified that, UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever. 2/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
… It is clarified that, UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever. 2/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
It is emphasised that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public. 3/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
It is emphasised that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public. 3/n
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
Our valid Toll free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years. 4/5
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
Our valid Toll free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years. 4/5
Aadhaar
✔@UIDAI
UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers.
#### 5/5The issue was noticed by people when French hacker Robert Baptiste who goes by a pseudonym Elliot Baptiste asked people on Twitter if they had the UIDAI helpline in their phonebooks.
“Many people, with different provider, with and without an #Aadhaar card, with and without the mAadhaar app installed, noticed that your phone number is predefined in their contact list by default and so without their knowledge. Can you explain why?” Baptiste tweeted, while tagging the official UIDAI handle.
Minutes after this, a number of people started posting the screenshots and confirmed that the number has appeared in Android phones, even as they questioned the protocol through which the UIDAI number got into their phonebooks without their explicit consent.
August 5, 2018 at 7:09 pm
The matter is of serious nature as it relates to privacy. It must be probed by appropriate authority