Context:
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA) to strengthen Aadhaar authentication security and counter emerging threats such as deepfakes, spoofing, and biometric fraud.
What is SITAA?
SITAA is an innovation-led collaborative programme designed to bring together startups, academic institutions, and industry partners to develop advanced, indigenous technologies that enhance the security and resilience of Aadhaar-based authentication systems.
- Launched by: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Objectives
- Fortify India’s digital identity ecosystem against deepfake attacks and presentation attacks
- Promote indigenous research and development in biometrics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity
- Align Aadhaar-related innovation with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and global data security standards
Key Features
Collaborative Innovation Framework
- Enables co-development of scalable and deployable Aadhaar security solutions
- Encourages participation from startups, research institutions, and technology companies
Three Focused Innovation Challenges
- Face Liveness Detection
- Development of AI-driven SDKs to identify spoofing attempts using photos, videos, or masks
- Presentation Attack Detection (PAD)
- AI/ML-based tools for real-time detection of fake or manipulated biometric inputs
- Contactless Fingerprint Authentication
- SDKs enabling secure fingerprint recognition using smartphones or low-cost devices without physical contact
