“The face authentication provides additional option for all residents to have inclusive authentication,” the statement said.

UIDAI emphasised that the new method would be be allowed on a need basis.

It will be allowed “only in fusion mode along with one more authentication factor combined with either fingerprint or iris or OTP to be able to successfully authenticate an Aadhaar number holder.”

Virtual ID

The move comes a few days after UIDAI introduced the concept of a virtual ID, which an Aadhaar holder can use in lieu of his/her Aadhaar number at the time of authentication, and sharing of ‘limited KYC’ with certain agencies. This was aimed at eliminating sharing and storing of Aadhaar numbers.

Since the face photo is already available in UIDAI database, there is also no need to capture any new reference data. “Camera is now available on laptops and mobiles, making face capture feasible for Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) without any additional hardware. Face authentication with liveness detection can be used as an additional factor to increase security,” it said.

Aadhaar authentication is being used as one of the primary identity verification mechanisms by many government and private entities, including banks and telecom companies.

“As on date, more than 1,510 crore authentications have been performed out of which more than 1,045 crore are biometric transactions,” as per UIDAI data.

UIDAI will release necessary details for implementation for AUAs by March 1, 2018. To facilitate this authentication service, the authority will work with biometric device providers to integrate face modality into the certified registered devices.