Aadhaar face recognition linkage with Covid-19 vaccination? Check how you will benefit from linking with mobile phone

Aadhaar mobile number linking: In a bid to make the Covid-19 vaccination program contactless, India’s vaccine drive is now set to add Aadhaar facial recognition to the programme. In an interview with The Print, National Health Authority head RS Sharma said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already started a pilot project to test the Aadhaar card-based facial recognition algorithms based on a database of facial data. It will bring great relief to Aadhaar card holders. 

As per the report, the COVID vaccine drive at present needs biometric authentication based on fingerprints or retinal scans. Facial recognition will help alleviate concerns of accidental infections at vaccination centres. For the contactless vaccination process to work, eligible citizens will have to register for the Covid-19 vaccination setup via the Co-WIN portal on the Aarogya Setu app.

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There is a big benefit here for Aadhaar cardholders who have done this linkage. While doing the registration, people need to link their mobile phone numbers and Aadhaar card numbers for identification verification. While going to vaccination at the vaccine centre, users who have chosen to authenticate their identity by using Aadhaar and this will ensure they are automatically verified by using facial recognition, the report said.

“We have started a pilot in Jharkhand which is reporting more than 1,000 successful authentications via facial recognition on a daily basis at the vaccination sites,” said Sharma, who is also the chairperson of the empowered committee for the administration of Covid vaccination," Sharma was quoted as saying to The Print.

After the NHA announced the facial recognition pilot project in Jharkhand’s Covid-19 vaccination centres, many individuals questioned the need to bring in facial surveillance, Moreover, many users called for adopting steps to “decentralise” the vaccination process, while others called for data security credentials to be established before vital data should be collected, the india.com reported.

To address this concern, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, had stated that individuals will not be required to furnish or link their Aadhaar details to get a shot of the vaccine administered.