New Delhi: A controversy broke on Wednesday after it emerged that social media giant Facebook was asking new users in India to give their name as in Aadhaar card for opening an account. According to sources, this is a test and only a small percentage of people who use Facebook on mobile phones in India are seeing it. Sources added that it was only a suggestion and there was no background check with any government data to verify that the name given was as per Aadhaar.
On whether Facebook plans to integrate registration of new and old users with their Aadhaar cards, sources in the company said, “This was a small test. Nothing further to share at this point.” Facebook usually asks new users to give their mobile number and email to check their credentials. In July this year, India overtook the US to become the Facebook’s largest country audience with a total 241 million active users, compared to 240 million in the United States.
Facebook isn’t the first online company to ask consumers for Aadhaar. Earlier, an online retailer had asked customers to upload their Aadhaar numbers to track lost packages. Petitions challenging the validity of linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and phone numbers are being heard by the Supreme Court. If the government clears this hurdle, over 50 services and schemes will require the mandatory linking of Aadhaar.
