Following a commotion, the government withdraws UIDAI’s Aadhaar caution note.

After a statement published by the Bangalore unit of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) – the body that manages Aadhaar – the government was taken off guard by Aadhaar safety concerns and issues the 12-digit unique identity number – sparked outrage by asking people not to share their information with “unlicensed private entities” like hotels or movie theatres because it could be “misused.”

As the advisory spread on social media, the IT ministry – the nodal ministry for UIDAI – was forced to withdraw, assuring that adequate safeguards and protection are in place within the Aadhaar system and urging people to continue sharing the unique ID number with “normal prudence.”

“In light of the possibility of misinterpretation of the press release, the same stands withdrawn with immediate effect,” the IT ministry clarified late Sunday.