NHA to Introduce Face Authentication for ABDM Health App

While worries about protection have been raised, the government accepts this new feature will work on ABHA ID creation and further develop availability to health records.

The National Health Authority (NHA) is planning to present another component in its Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) application that will permit the users to make their ABHA ID utilizing face authentication, which will be connected to their Aadhaar number. This action is part of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which aims to create a digital health ecosystem in the country so that health records can be easily shared and accessed online.

Even though this feature has raised privacy concerns, the government believes that it will make it easier to create an ABHA ID by removing the requirement for OTP verification on registered mobile numbers. In order to put this initiative into action, NHA is looking for technical assistance from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

An official with knowledge of the situation says that UIDAI offers a face authentication service, which NHA is also trying to include in its ABHA app. Just as a person gives an impression with their thumb, a person can now use their face for authentication. Simply providing your Aadhaar number and putting your face in front of the camera will allow the system to determine whether the photo you are sharing matches the Aadhaar number. It is currently in the testing phase and will soon be put into action.

It is anticipated that users who encounter difficulties with mobile authentication as a result of factors such as out-of-date mobile numbers will benefit from the introduction of face authentication. Right now, just 10% of Aadhaar users utilize mobile verification for ABHA ID creation.

378 million ABHA IDs have been created and 261.7 million health records have been linked since ABDM's launch. NHA emphasizes that ABDM implementation is based on security and privacy, with data stored in a federated model where it is created and without any data being stored centrally.