Aadhaar cards are used in a lot of different ways today, for example, in banks, mobile SIM cards, government services and all kinds of other situations where you need to verify your identity. Because there are so many Aadhaar cards being used and accessed, the risks of misuse or unauthorised access to Aadhaar-related information has also increased. In response to this, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced the Aadhaar Biometric Lock and Unlock feature. This feature allows you to lock your fingerprint and iris information temporarily, so that no one else can verify those two types of biometrics. By locking your biometrics, you will then have more control over your Aadhaar-related information.
What are the benefits of biometric locking?
The Aadhaar lock feature effectively stops anybody from doing biometric authentication. Once you lock your biometrics, nobody will be able to do a verification against your Aadhaar number using biometrics (fingerprints or irises) even if they know your Aadhaar number. This is an effective tool for you if you think that there may be a risk that somebody might misuse your personal information or if you feel the need to protect yourself when you share personal information with other people or organisations.
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After locking the biometric, services that depend on biometric verification, such as SIM verification, KYC, some banking services, are closed until unlocked. As a result, the risk of identity theft, authentication fraud or fraud by copying fingerprints is reduced. However, it is worth noting that locking the biometric does not cancel the Aadhaar number and non-biometric services remain active.
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How to lock biometrics?
Biometric locking is possible from the UIDAI self-service portal. The procedure is very simple—
1) Go to the UIDAI portal and enter your Aadhaar number
2) OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number
3) Biometric authentication will be stopped immediately after the OTP verification is completed
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There is no fee for this entire process.
How to unlock if necessary?
If biometric verification is required for any work, it can be unlocked again from the same portal. After verifying the OTP on the registered mobile number, biometric access will be activated again. If desired, users can lock and unlock repeatedly—whenever necessary.
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In the digital age, the number of Aadhaar-based services is increasing, along with the risk of data theft. The biometric lock-unlock facility has given people a powerful tool to protect their identity and information. If aware users use this feature, security will be strengthened and data misuse will be reduced.