New Delhi: The UIDAI said on Friday that it has not asked any device maker or service provider to include its toll-free number on mobile phones, and clarified that the number 1800-300-1947 appearing in the contact list of Android phones is an "outdated and invalid" helpline number.
Distancing itself from the backlash it faced on social media over the default inclusion of the number in contact list of Android phones, the Unique Identification Authority of India said in a statement that “some vested interests are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public".
The UIDAI's valid toll-free number is 1947, which has been functional for the last two years, it said.
"UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers," the statement added.
Amid heightened privacy concerns, many on social media have questioned how the UIDAI helpline number had crept into their smartphone contact list.
Yesterday, French security expert who goes under the pseudonym Elliot Alderson had tweeted about the inclusion of the helpline numbers in the default contact lists in mobile phones. A vigilante hacker who uses the handle @fs0c131y on Twitter, Alderson was vocal during the recent Aadhaar dare thrown by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) chief R S Sharma and had pointed out flaws in the Aadhaar system earlier also.
