What is DigiLocker and does it keep your data safe? | Explained Premium

DigiLocker has become a digital placeholder for administrative and government-related documents. How secure is it, and should people be using it?

The story so far: As thousands of students across the country rush to their computers to check their board exam results, many of them now have the option of viewing their scores and even obtaining their verified marksheets through the Indian government’s DigiLocker platform. While 10th and 12th standard students from the CISCE board as well as 10th standard students from the State Board of Tamil Nadu can get their 2024 results from DigiLocker, this facility is coming soon to the students of the CBSE board.

The DigiLocker platform, launched in 2015, operates as an app to store users’ digital records. The app can be used when applying for a passport, reviewing marksheets, or proving one’s identity during travel. The app is part of the Indian government’s paper-free initiative aimed at letting users access, verify, and store essential documents in a digital wallet so that they are easy to retrieve and present to officials when required. As of early May, the app has over 270 million registered users, while nearly 6.7 billion documents — like Aadhaar, insurance policy papers, PAN records, and driving licenses — have been retrieved through it.

As per DigiLocker’s website: “The issued documents in DigiLocker system are deemed to be at par with original physical documents as per Rule 9A of the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016 notified on February 8, 2017 vide G.S.R. 711(E).”

DigiLocker is a paperless solution meant to ensure that a user can access the latest and updated versions of their documents online in order to prove their identity and their credentials at any given moment. To the verifying officials, this helps in keeping at bay fake, poor quality print copies, and outdated documents that miss key details.

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Also, for the user, this app helps eliminate the need to carry separate sets of documents while they are on the move. Instead, the documents can be fetched or stored in a local device. In theory, these digital documents are no less valid than their originals. Additionally, the DigiLocker website noted that using the app can help with faster service delivery.

DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme, meaning it is a government approved application and is ideally maintained with strict security protocols framed by officials.