According to a Twitter thread that started today, people are finding UIDAI number in their mobile contact lists.
And they are slightly creeped out.
A lot of people have @UIDAI in their contact list by default. I’m thinking aloud: What if it is only the top of the iceberg?
I really need to know now. If you have an Indian phone firmware, I’m your man, please send it to me! https://t.co/xRVNM72f1u— Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) August 2, 2018
In all probability, it isn’t half as controversial as it seems because our phone numbers are linked with Aadhaar.
I see that I have UIDAI on my phone contact list and I never saved the number !!! OMG…what else are they tracking on my phone?
— GIRISH MITTAL (@G_MITTAL) August 2, 2018
@fs0c131y No its not because sim provider. I bought my phone in Germany and also sim provider is German, I never been to Indian after buying this phone…. i havent installed BHIM, UPI or aadhar app…… Email, whatsapp are linked to my indian number which is linkd to aadhar…
— sheik akram (@AkramSheik) August 2, 2018
Definitely coming from phone storage. Checked contacts manager and filtered by sim contacts, it’s not there in my @Airtel_Presence SIM. Filtered by phone storage, and there it is. Funny thing is, this is hardly a 2 month old @OnePlus_IN phone. I definitely didn’t store this num.
— Manu K.P (@manukp) August 2, 2018
I have a very old phone pic.twitter.com/YQ3akUJQZb
— Rachita (@visualfumble) August 2, 2018
Indian phone firmware ? What is that. ? How do we know ? And how to send it to u ?
— Ayush Sharma (@ayush1931994) August 2, 2018
However, there were some people who didn’t find the number in their phones, while others thought it was the service providers are responsible for it and there’s nothing to worry about.
My phone didn’t have the UIDAI number… Pretty sure of it. I think it came along with the new Vodafone SIM card, which I bought like a month ago. My contact list, before I got this SIM, didn’t have the number.
— Sangeetha Delampady (@sanguine01chan) August 2, 2018
I searched all my contacts on Jio and couldn’t find UIDAI’s contact. I think it’s saved due to the mAadhaar app. I am using Airtel too and couldn’t find it there too. pic.twitter.com/iP4OZFUfH3
— Deepak Nahar (@itsmedn7) August 2, 2018
I have a very old phone pic.twitter.com/YQ3akUJQZb
— Rachita (@visualfumble) August 2, 2018
No I don’t have uidai contact I’m using an overseas model I even installed bhim twice thrice but uninstalled it every time
— RDJ (@flirtysinger007) August 2, 2018
UIDAI recently asked people to refrain from using their Aadhaar number on social media after TRAI Chairman Ram Sewak Sharma revealed it on Twitter, trying to prove his point that no one can cause any harm using just this piece of information.
Later, some ethical hackers found out his bank details and deposited 1 rupee in his account.
Definitely something to think about.
