New Delhi, Aug 9: Ram Sevak Sharma, the chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has been re-appointed as the chief of the regulatory body. His tenure has now been extended till September 30, 2020, as per the notification issued by the government on Thursday.

RS Sharma lately entered into a controversy after he threw an Aadhaar hack challenge on Twitter. The TRAI chief posted his unique identity number on the micro-blogging site, daring anyone to intrude into his privacy by merely using the 12-digit ID.

In what some claim to be an embarrassment for Sharma, a French security hacker who goes by the pseudo name of Elliot Alderson, posted the PAN, mobile number, alternative contact number, address and bank account details of the TRAI chairman.

Another anonymous hacker deposited Re 1 into his account, claiming that the bank account details of Sharma were accessed by him using his Aadhaar number

Sharma, however, remained unfazed saying the details released by the purported hackers does not qualify to be called as intrusion of privacy.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal body in-charge of Aadhaar, said the details posted by the hacker could had been extracted from sources other than the Aadhaar ID.

The UIDAI, however, warned others against posting their 12-digit unique IDs on Twitter, saying, "Such activities are uncalled for and should be refrained as these are not in accordance with the law."

Sharma, 63, was first appointed at the helm of TRAI in July 2015 for a three-year period. The career bureaucrat had held key portfolios over the past four decades. Prior to be appointed as the TRAI chairman, he served as the CEO of the UIDAI.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 09, 2018 06:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).