As a part of the additional safety feature, Aadhar cards also offer you the facility to lock and unlock your biometric details to prevent any misuse. The security of Aadhaar has come under scrutiny in recent times, which somehow prompted UIDAI to provide this facility. Biometric details pertain to your finger print copies and your IRIS details. You can actually lock / unlock biometric details Aadhar through a very simple process. Here is what you need to know about Aadhar how to lock and unlock your biometric details.
This service is meant to help users protect their biometric details from being misused since many agencies today require applicants to verify their details using the Aadhar biometric authenticate facility. There are two ways to lock and unlock Aadhar biometric data online viz. through the UIDAI’s portal and through the mAadhaar app.
How do I lock or disable the biometric details on my Aadhar card via UIDAI?
You need to follow some simple steps to lock/unlock biometrics online:
Visit UIDAI’s online portal to lock or unlock your biometrics and select the “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” option from the Aadhaar Services section
Next you need to enter the 12-digit Aadhaar number and the security code and click on the Send OTP option. The one-time password (OTP) will be sent to your mobile phone, which you can impute and then click on the Login button.
Once you log in, you must enter the 4 digit security code mentioned on the screen and click on the “Enable” button. This will result in your biometrics getting locked with immediate effect.
You can unlock the biometrics as well. To unlock your biometrics, click on the “Login” button and repeat the same process for unlocking the biometrics. If you just want to enable it temporarily for a particular form application, then you can just unlock it. If you want to permanently get rid of the biometric lock, then you can permanently disable. After that the biometric lock ceases to exist in your Aadhar account.
It may be noted that currently the biometric lock disabling is available only through the online portal. You can follow the complete process of Aadhar number, security code and OTP and then you can disable the Aadhar number. This will permanently disable the biometric lock. You must use this facility only if you are clear that you do not want to use the biometric lock any longer.
How do I lock or disable the biometric details on my Aadhar card via mAadhaar?
It is now well known that mAadhaar is the online app that the UIDAI provides which enable you to actually download the Aadhar card on to your mobile phone and use it as a virtual Aadhaar for all you requirements. Another method to lock/unlock biometrics is through the mAadhaar app that is the official app managed by UIDAI. You have to follow these steps to unlock biometric details in Aadhar through the mAadhaar app:
As the first step, download and install the mAadhaar app. This can be downloaded from the Apple IOS platform or from the Google Android platform depending on which platform you operate your mobile phone on. Once that is done, you can add your profile in the app and then you can open your Aadhaar profile in the app
On the top right corner of the app, you will find three vertical dots. Click on these three vertical dots and select the Biometric Settings option.
Then you must tick the Enable Biometric Locking option and click on the tick mark. Immediately, an OTP will be requested from your mobile number. The OTP will be sent by UIDAI to the registered mobile number at the time of Aadhar application.
Here there is a small difference from the UIDAI interface. For security purposes, the OTP is fed automatically in the application by the system and there is no option to enter the OTP manually. Once you approve the task, your biometric is locked. Typically, it may take up to 6 hours to activate the lock
The Aadhar biometric lock is a useful security addition to ensure that your Aadhar data is as safe as possible. The success of any such mass online facility is predicated on security and this is the bare minimum that you can do to enhance your security of Aadhar.