The identity platform `Aadhaar' provides open "Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)". What does it imply? 1) It can be integrated into any electronic device. 2) Online authentication using iris is possible. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is C. Both statements are right.

Statement 1 is correct. An open API is a published set of interfaces that any developer can build against. UIDAI's Aadhaar APIs work this way, so banks, telecom firms, government portals and app or device makers can integrate Aadhaar-based authentication and e-KYC into their own systems. The phrase "any electronic device" is the examiner's way of describing this openness.

Statement 2 is correct. Aadhaar authentication is not limited to PIN or OTP. Under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and UIDAI's authentication framework, residents can be authenticated demographically, by fingerprint, by iris scan, or by OTP. Iris is one of the biometric modes available online through authentication user agencies. Later, face authentication was also added, so the list of modes has grown since 2018.

Core concept: the difference between an identity database and an identity platform that others can plug into. This links to GS-2 on governance, DBT and digital public infrastructure, and to the privacy debate after the Puttaswamy judgment (2017).

Trap: candidates see "open" and assume the data is public. Open APIs give access to the interface, not to personal data. Authentication remains consent-based and tightly controlled.