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UIDAI launched the Aadhaar Face Authentication SDK and the Aadhaar Face Authentication Sandbox on 9 September 2026 at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai.
The SDK lets banks, fintechs and other agencies run Aadhaar face authentication inside their own Android and iOS apps, removing the earlier need to switch to the separate Aadhaar FaceRD app.
It carries AI and machine-learning based liveness detection and anti-spoofing checks with encrypted handling of authentication data, and works on ordinary consumer smartphones.
The Sandbox is a testing environment for the full authentication flow — consent, face capture, liveness, error handling, timeouts, invalid signatures and spoofing scenarios — without external biometric hardware.
UIDAI also released a 'Playbook on Ease of Onboarding' for the BFSI sector; Aadhaar face authentication, introduced in 2021, has crossed 500 crore transactions.
Statutory authority for Aadhaar enrolment, authentication and the Aadhaar ecosystem; functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Gives UIDAI statutory status and governs Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including biometric authentication modes such as face.
Governs the processing of personal data, including biometric data captured in authentication flows, on a consent basis.
Software checks whether the face in front of the camera belongs to a live person rather than a photograph, a video replay or a mask. Without it, face authentication could be defeated by holding up a printed image.
Simple Analogy: It is the difference between recognising a face and checking that the face is actually breathing.
Let pensioners submit a digital life certificate without visiting an office
Key: Face authentication removes the need for fingerprint or iris devices
Enrol and verify beneficiaries of the health assurance scheme
Key: Face-based verification at the point of enrolment
Deliver subsidies and benefits directly to verified beneficiaries
Key: Authentication on ordinary smartphones, without additional biometric hardware
Verify farmer and housing-scheme beneficiaries
Key: Face authentication used for beneficiary enrolment and validation
General Awareness > Digital Banking and eKYC
GS Paper 2 > Governance — role of digital public infrastructure in service delivery
General Awareness > Science and Technology in News
Consider the following statements about G-20: 1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss the international economic and financial issues. 2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India's G-20 priorities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Both 1 and 2
Software Development Kit — a package of code and tools that lets a developer build a capability directly into an application.
A controlled testing environment where developers can run authentication flows, including failure cases, before going live.
Electronic Know Your Customer — verifying a customer's identity digitally using Aadhaar authentication rather than paper documents.
Checks that reject photographs, video replays and masks presented in place of a live face.