If Aadhaar helpline no stored automatically, delete it: Maha

The Cyber Security Cell of Maharashtra police issued an advisory late this evening, saying that if any number in the name of UIDAI has been automatically added to the mobile phone contacts, it should be deleted.

Amid public outrage over Aadhaar helpline number being pre-stored without user consent on certain mobile phones, Google tonight apologised for "inadvertently" loading the old UIDAI helpline number and 112 helpline number into the 'setup wizard' of Android phones.

The numbers can be manually deleted from the phones, Google said, promising to fix the issue in future editions of its setup wizard.

Earlier today Aadhaar-issuing authority UIDAI had said it has not asked any phone maker or telecom service provider to include its toll-free number on mobile phones, as it tried to assuage user concerns relating to the invasion of privacy.

The clarification came on reports that many Android-run mobile phones listed by default the Aadhaar helpline number 1800-300-1947.