After alleged Aadhaar toll-free number creeps into mobile phones, UIDAI denies giving permission

The Unique Identification Authority of India, which runs the Aadhaar project, denied asking any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility.

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 “#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… ,” it said in a tweet.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.

#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… 1/n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) August 3, 2018

… 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) August 3, 2018

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) August 3, 2018

Our valid Toll free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years. 4/5

— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

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.
#### 5/5

— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

The 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.