---
layout: default
title: "New Regulations In Place; Aadhaar Card Records To Be Preserved For 7 Years By Centre"
description: "A Financial Express report on new Aadhaar regulations requiring the Centre to retain authentication and transaction records linked to Aadhaar for seven years, and Sunil Abraham's warning that mandatory Aadhaar could enable 360-degree surveillance of individuals."
categories: [Media mentions]
date: 2016-10-17
source: "The Financial Express"
permalink: /media/new-regulations-aadhaar-records-preserved-7-years-centre/
created: 2025-12-21
---

**New Regulations In Place; Aadhaar Card Records To Be Preserved For 7 Years By Centre** is a news report by the FE News Desk published by *The Financial Express* on 17 October 2016. The article explains new rules requiring the government to retain records of all services and benefits availed using Aadhaar numbers for seven years, and highlights Sunil Abraham's concern that once Aadhaar becomes mandatory, such retention could be used to conduct 360-degree surveillance of individuals.

## Contents

1. [Article Details](#article-details)  
2. [Full Text](#full-text)  
3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background)  
4. [External Link](#external-link)

## Article Details

<dl class="media-details">
  <dt>📰 Published in:</dt>
  <dd>The Financial Express</dd>

  <dt>🎤 Quoted expert:</dt>
  <dd>Sunil Abraham</dd>

  <dt>📅 Date:</dt>
  <dd>17 October 2016</dd>

  <dt>📄 Type:</dt>
  <dd>News report</dd>

  <dt>📰 Newspaper Link:</dt>
  <dd>
    <a class="btn" href="https://www.financialexpress.com/policy/economy-new-regulations-in-place-aadhaar-card-records-to-be-preserved-for-7-yrs-by-centre-420633/">
      Read Online
    </a>
  </dd>
</dl>

## Full Text

<div class="highlighted-text" id="fulltext">

<p>As per new regulations, the government will now keep a record for seven years of all services and benefits that are availed using Aadhaar numbers. While activists have raised concerns that the database might be used for surveillance, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will preserve the records.</p>

<p>UIDAI chief executive officer ABP Pandey said that the concerns regarding Aadhaar card-related benefits were "exaggerated" and that the agency will keep the records in case any disputes arise in the future.</p>

<p>Pandey added that the information will be available online for two years and shall be shifted to the offline archives for the next five years. In that case, users will be able to check the records only for two years. However, the rules will not apply for security agencies and they will need a district judge's permission to access the data.</p>

<p>According to <i>HT</i>, the rules allow designated joint secretary-level officers at the Centre to order access to information on the grounds of national security.</p>

<p>Talking about this, Sunil Abraham, director of the Bengaluru-based think tank Centre for Internet and Society, said that once Aadhaar becomes mandatory, it can be misused to conduct a 360-degree surveillance on any person.</p>

<p>Every time a person fingerprints and quotes the Aadhaar number, the agency concerned sends the data to UIDAI to crosscheck the particulars.</p>

<p>The UIDAI authenticates about five million Aadhaar numbers a day, which are quoted to avail LPG subsidy, cheap ration and even passports, against a capacity to verify 100 million requests daily, reports <i>HT</i>.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched a drive to enrol any leftover population for Aadhaar in 22 states and Union Territories that have "statistically" hit 100 per cent coverage for adults.</p>

<p>The "challenge drive" starts from October 15 for a month, a UIDAI statement said, adding that as of the date of the report, over 106.69 crore Aadhaar numbers had been generated across the country.</p>
</div>

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## Context and Background

The report was published in October 2016, at a time when Aadhaar authentication was rapidly being linked to subsidies and essential services such as LPG, ration and passports, with UIDAI authenticating around five million Aadhaar numbers daily against a capacity of 100 million requests. The new regulations formalised long-term retention of Aadhaar-linked transaction logs, framing it as a mechanism to resolve future disputes over benefits.

Under the rules described, records remain accessible online for two years and are then moved to offline archives for an additional five years, while security agencies can obtain access with the permission of a district judge or via joint secretary–level orders citing national security. Sunil Abraham warned that once Aadhaar becomes mandatory, this infrastructure could be misused for 360-degree surveillance, since each authentication event sends data back to UIDAI, creating a comprehensive activity trail for individuals.

The article also noted that UIDAI had launched a "challenge drive" to enrol any remaining adults in 22 states and Union Territories that had statistically reached full Aadhaar coverage, and that over 106.69 crore Aadhaar numbers had already been generated nationwide. This push toward saturation enrolment, combined with long-term retention of authentication records, intensified concerns among privacy advocates that Aadhaar could evolve into a pervasive tool for state monitoring rather than remaining a neutral identity infrastructure.

## External Link

- [Read on The Financial Express](https://www.financialexpress.com/policy/economy-new-regulations-in-place-aadhaar-card-records-to-be-preserved-for-7-yrs-by-centre-420633/)

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