OTP glitch disrupts access to NID services website

A malfunction in the one-time password (OTP) verification system has disrupted user access to the National Identity (NID) services website.

On Tuesday, both Election Commission (EC) officials and members of the general public reported facing issues while attempting to log in to the site.

Around 1pm, Ashraf Hossain, system manager of the EC’s National Identity Registration Division, expressed hope that the technical issue with the OTP system would be resolved “within a couple of hours”.

According to ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Registration Division, a user ID and password are needed to access the NID service website, after which an OTP is required to complete the login process. However, due to OTPs not being delivered, even EC officials have been unable to log in to the system.

“However, activities such as photo capture and biometric data collection are functional. Once the OTP issue is resolved, all services will resume,” he said.

In response to a question, he said: “Our servers are not down. We have purchased an OTP service to operate the NID system, and the issue lies with the provider’s system. They are working on fixing it, and once resolved, the service will resume.”

Currently, the NID database stores details of around 125 million citizens. Citizens can apply online for services like corrections, data updates, and NID reissue. EC officials verify and process these applications through the online system.

Although these services have been disrupted due to the OTP failure, officials said that data verification services for the 186 organisations connected to the NID database remain unaffected.