Aadhaar issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India uses biometric data for verification. To provide privacy and confidentiality of biometrics data, UIDAI allows individuals to lock and temporarily unlock their Aadhaar biometrics (fingerprint and iris data) to prevent misuse.
Locked biometrics prevents the Aadhaar holder from using their biometrics for authentication. An individual may unlock or disable the locking system to perform biometric authentication.
Steps to lock/unlock Aadhaar Biometrics via UIDAI
Visit the UIDAI website: https://uidai.gov.in/
Select ‘Lock/ Unlock Biometrics’ from the list of services on UIDAI appearing under the ‘My Aadhaar’ tab.
After acknowledging the note, click ‘Lock/Unlock Biometrics.’
Enter your Aadhaar number or VID (Virtual ID) along with the captcha and request an OTP.
You can enable the ‘lock’ or ‘unlock’ feature to secure your Aadhaar biometrics upon OTP verification. The same procedure applies to lock/ unlock Aadhaar via the mAadhaar app.
Note: You will not be able to perform biometric authentication unless you unlock it on UIDAI. However, authentication can be performed using an Aadhaar VID.
Published on
June 16, 2022
