UPSC CSE Prelims 2018
Statement 1 is correct. Open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) provided by Aadhaar enable various electronic devices and systems to integrate Aadhaar services, primarily for authentication. This allows devices such as mobile phones, point-of-sale machines, biometric scanners, and ATMs to connect with the Aadhaar platform for identity verification purposes.
Statement 2 is correct. The Aadhaar authentication system supports multiple biometric modalities for online verification. These include fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition. Additionally, it supports authentication through a one-time password (OTP). Therefore, online authentication using an iris scan is a standard feature offered by the Aadhaar platform.
Options (a), (b), and (d) are incorrect because both statements 1 and 2 accurately describe the implications of Aadhaar providing open APIs and its comprehensive authentication capabilities.