The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) provides a range of online services to Aadhaar users. The manager of the government's Aadhaar biometric ID programme, the UIDAI enables users to lock or unlock their biometric details online using its "self-service" portal — uidai.gov.in. A user can lock or unlock personal biometric details fed into the Aadhaar database. Once engaged, the Aadhaar biometrics lock dismisses any attempts to authenticate the identity of the individual using the data, according to the UIDAI website.
How to lock/unlock Aadhaar biometrics
Locking Biometric Details
Select the “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” option from the homepage of the UIDIA self-service portal.
On the next page, titled “Lock/Unlock Biometrics”, enter details such as the Aadhaar number (UID) or virtual ID (VID) in the indicated field and click on “Send OTP”. An OTP or one-time passcode is a number sent by the UIDAI to the Aadhaar holder's registered mobile number for the purpose of identity verification.
Fill in the OTP in the given field and click on “Submit” to proceed.
On the next page, fill in the required details and click on “Enable” to activate the biometrics lock.
Once the biometrics associated with an Aadhaar are locked, the UIDAI portal displays the message: “You will not be able to authenticate by using your fingerprint or iris. You can unlock biometrics temporarily for any authentication requirements. You can also disable the Locked Biometrics.”
(Also read: How to change the address given on your Aadhaar)
Unlocking Aadhaar Biometrics
The UIDAI portal enables Aadhaar holders to unlock their Aadhaar biometrics on a temporary basis. Once the biometrics details are unlocked, the system automatically locks them after a gap of 10 minutes.
For unlocking the biometrics, the user is required to log in to the UIDAI portal in the same way as explained above and click on "Unlock".
Once the biometrics details are unlocked, the UIDAI portal displays the message: "Your Biometrics is unlocked now... You can authenticate by using your fingerprint or iris. You can also disable the Biometric Lock."
The UIDAI portal also indicates the time as to when the biometrics will be locked automatically.
Disabling Aadhaar Biometrics Lock
The user can also disable - or "permanently unlock" - the Aadhaar biometrics lock using the UIDAI portal. In this case, the Aadhaar biometrics lock is not engaged automatically.
For disabling the biometrics lock, the user is required to log in to the UIDAI portal and first click on "Unlock".
In the next step, the user is required to log in, fill in the required details and click on "Disable" to proceed. This can be done before the biometrics are automatically locked in the stipulated time.
Once the biometrics lock is disabled, the UIDAI portal displays the message: "Your Biometric Lock is disabled. You can enable your Biometric Lock any time. But before that you will be required to login using your Aadhaar."
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