Aadhaar Card Security: Protect your biometric data to prevent misusage

Aadhaar Card Security: Aadhaar Card, in today's digital age, has become an indispensable document for various essential activities such as purchasing a SIM card and opening a bank account. However, with vital information like name, address, date of birth, fingerprints, and the photograph stored within the Aadhaar card, concerns about privacy and security are paramount. To address these concerns, it's crucial to understand how to safeguard your personal information by locking your Aadhaar biometric data.

Purpose of locking biometric data

Locking biometric data serves the purpose of enhancing the security and privacy of sensitive information such as fingerprints and iris scans. By utilising the Biometric Lock-Unlock feature, individuals can ensure that their Aadhaar biometrics remain inaccessible for authentication unless explicitly unlocked.

• To initiate the process of locking your Aadhaar biometric data, visit the official website of UIDAI and navigate to the 'My Aadhaar' section.
• Select 'Aadhaar Services' and opt for 'Secure Your Biometrics.'
• Proceed by clicking on 'Lock/Unlock Biometrics' and entering your 12-digit unique Aadhaar number, followed by completing the captcha verification.
• Now click on Send OTP. On receiving the OTP on the registered mobile number, authenticate the process by entering the OTP and confirming the action. This procedure effectively locks your biometric details, preventing unauthorised access.

It's important to note that subsequent biometric usage requires unlocking it separately.

Precautions while downloading Aadhaar

Furthermore, exercising precautions while downloading Aadhaar data is extremely important. Using public computers or borrowing someone else's laptop poses inherent risks, especially if Aadhaar information is inadvertently left behind. To mitigate such risks, UIDAI advises downloading Aadhaar only on personal devices such as computers, laptops, or mobile phones and exclusively through the official UIDAI website. Additionally, refraining from sharing the Aadhaar OTP with anyone further safeguards against potential fraud.

By adhering to these precautions and utilising the available security features, individuals can significantly reduce the likelihood of Aadhaar-related security breaches and protect their sensitive personal information from being misused.