After protest on social media, UIDAI says it didn’t ask operators for service, says number is invalid
As thousands of Android 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, and they vent their ire via the social media, the UIDAI has clarified that it has not asked mobile makers and operators to include helpline number on any phones.
“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.
French security expert Elliot Alderson asked UIDAI on Twitter, “Many people, with different providers, 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 without their knowledge. Can you explain whyij”
A vigilante hacker who uses the handle @fs0c131y on Twitter, Alderson was vocal during the recent Aadhaar dare thrown by Trai chief RS Sharma and has, in the past, also revealed purportedly flaws in Aadhaar system.
Distancing itself from the backlash it faced on social media, the UIDAI said the number 1800-300-1947 appearing in the contact list of Android phones is an “outdated and invalid” number.
The UIDAI said in a statement “...Some vested interests are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public.”
The UIDAI’s valid toll free number is 1947, which is functional for more than the last two years, it said.
“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,” it said.
Amid heightened privacy concerns, many on social media have questioned how the UIDAI helpline number had crept into their phones.