Will inquire into Facebook demanding users' Aadhaar: Govt

New Delhi: Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said he would "get the entire facts" about social networking site Facebook reportedly demanding new users' Aadhaar and revert to Parliament.

"I have also seen the news (about Facebook) in media. They have also given a reply that it was not mandatory. But I will get the entire facts on record before I revert to you," Prasad told the Rajya Sabha in response to a supplementary question on cybersecurity and data protection.

The Minister also said that the government is going to bring a data protection law very soon.

It was reported a few days back that new users trying to sign up for Facebook were asked to enter their name "as per Aadhaar" records.

However, Facebook has already clarified that it was "not collecting" the Aadhaar data and was just running a "small test" to weed out fake accounts.

"There have been some reports about a small test we ran in India to help new users sign up for Facebook. Some have interpreted this test as a request for people's Aadhaar information when you sign up for a Facebook account. This is not correct," Facebook said in a blog post on Wednesday.

"The test, which has now finished, merely includes additional language on the account sign-up page to explain that using their Aadhaar name will help family and friends recognise them. "We are not collecting Aadhaar data and do not require people to enter their Aadhaar name when they sign up to Facebook," it added.

Earlier, Prasad said that the government has no plans to make internet availability a fundamental right, but the government is "committed to providing internet connectivity to its citizens".