Keep your documents
safe, digitally
After private providers, the government too is
offering digital locker services. Here is why you should opt for them.
Storing hard copies and keeping records of all
your financial docu ments is not only cumbersome but also unsafe. There is
always a risk of loss or physical damage. It is thus safer to dematerialise.
However, just going paperless is also not enough. It is important that you
organise all your important papers at one place. In emergencies, it becomes
easier for your family to access all documents quickly. With e-vaults and free
cloud storage, this task has become easier. The government too recently
launched a free digital vault service, DigiLocker, which lets you store such sensitive
data safely.
Still in its beta phase, DigiLockers can help
you consolidate all your important papers at one place. You need to have an
Aadhaar card that is linked to your cell number to open an account. Around 1.52
lakh people have already registered for this. Madhya Pradesh leads the count
with 28,317 registrations, followed by Uttar Pradesh (20,771) and Maharashtra
(17,601). In Delhi, so far, 5,894 have registered for the facility.
How it works
To open an account you'll have to enter your UID
number. The system will send a one-time password (OTP) to your registered
mobile number and email ID to validate your identity. Once registered, you can
start uploading documents under the `My certificates' section (see box).
You can upload scanned copies, which, if
required, can be digitally signed. The locker is also a repository of all your
government issued e-documents. These e-documents are uploaded by issuers,
government departments or agencies such as CBSE, registrar's office, income tax
department, etc., in a standard XML format that is compliant with digital
locker technical specifications. Right now, you'll only get 10MB of space,
which will be later increased to 1GB.
While the documents you upload can be shared via
email, the e-documents from governments agencies can be viewed by an authorised
list of requestors such as a bank, university, the passport office or the
transport department. You can also digitally sign these documents using the
eSign option.
Many options
Private e-locker services have been around for
some time now. ICICI Bank has an e-locker service which allows customers to log
in through their internet banking or ICICI Direct account. Then there are
private businesses pages each and an online storage capacity of up to 50MB.
They will pick up, scan, upload and keep the papers safe. In case you need the
originals, it will be sent to you within two or three days. A drawback of
DigiLocker is it doesn't let you compartmentalise documents. The private
services lets you create folders and categorise to make browsing easy. However,
cyber laws and jurisdiction remain areas of concern.
Data security
The government has ensured that your documents
are safe from hackers. The OTP that unlocks your DigiLocker account gets erased
immediately after use.“The government's locker is more secure primarily because
the data gets stored within India and you are protected under the Information
Technology Act, 2000. If you store anything in DropBox or Google Drive, you are
governed by US regulations,“ says Sivarama Krishnan, Director, Risk Advisory,
PwC India.The account and related data being linked to the Aadhaar card gives
it additional protection. “There is an ability to uniquely identify who is
accessing the account and what is being accessed,“ adds Krishnan.
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CHANDRALEKHA MUKERJI
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ETW15JUN15
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