The new Aadhaar App represents a shift from centralised identity verification to resident-controlled credential sharing. Critically examine its implications for privacy, governance, and digital inclusion in India.

Q. The new Aadhaar App represents a shift from centralised identity verification to resident-controlled credential sharing. Critically examine its implications for privacy, governance, and digital inclusion in India. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Dedicated to the nation on 28 January 2026, UIDAI's new Aadhaar App lets residents carry, share and update identity from a smartphone [2]. Crossing 31 million downloads in under five months [1], it marks a pivot from database-lookup verification to resident-controlled disclosure — a genuine advance, though its gains are uneven.

Privacy: strengths - Selective credential sharing through customised QR codes lets a resident reveal only the fields a use-case needs, operationalising data minimisation under the DPDP Act [2]. - Biometric lock/unlock in one click and face verification for proof of presence curb misuse of stored biometrics [2]. - Authentication history gives residents an audit trail — answering the privacy safeguards demanded in K.S. Puttaswamy (2018) [2].

Privacy: limits - Consent remains device-level; a shared family handset (up to five profiles, "One Family–One App") dilutes individual control [2]. - Aadhaar's core database still holds ~134 crore live records with 17,000+ crore authentications, so centralised risk is reduced at the edge, not removed [3].

Governance - Self-service updates — ~4 million mobile-number and ~8.5 lakh address changes [1] — cut dependence on enrolment centres and CSCs, easing administrative load. - Offline QR verification at hotels, hospitals and for gig-worker onboarding extends assurance without server calls [1]. - Yet a larger install base widens the attack surface, and grievance redress for failed digital updates remains thin.

Digital inclusion - Adoption scale [1] and multi-profile design help low-device-penetration households. - However, the model presumes a smartphone, data and digital literacy — excluding precisely the elderly, rural and migrant users [1] most reliant on Aadhaar-linked entitlements; assisted-mode channels must therefore continue.

The App advances privacy-by-design and citizen agency, but inclusion depends on the offline ecosystem it must not displace. Sustaining assisted enrolment channels, strengthening DPDP-aligned grievance redress and periodic security audits would let this shift deepen dignity and equality under Article 21 rather than create a new digital divide.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. Aadhaar App crosses 31 million downloads, PIB, 22 June 2026 — 31 million downloads in under five months; ~4 million mobile-number and ~8.5 lakh address updates; offline QR use-cases 2. New Aadhaar App dedicated to the nation, PIB, 28 January 2026 — launch date; selective credential sharing via QR; biometric lock/unlock; face verification; authentication history; five profiles per device 3. Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric identity system with approximately 134 crore live Aadhaar holders, PIB, 18 March 2026 — ~134 crore live holders; 17,000+ crore authentications; encryption and three-tier audit framework