The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has advised the people not to share Aadhaar openly in the public domain, particularly on social media and other public platforms.

In a statement, UIDAI said the Aadhaar holders should not disclose Aadhaar OTP to any unauthorised entity and refrain from sharing m-Aahaar PIN with anyone. It also urged residents not to leave Aadhaar letter/PVC Card, or its copy thereof, unattended.

According to UIDAI, the use of Aadhaar confidently as per the choice of the holders to avail benefits and services, but observe (the) same level of usage hygiene like any other identity documents including Bank account, PAN or Passport.

Aadhaar is a resident’s digital ID, and it works as a single source of online and offline identity verification for residents across the country. Residents can use their Aadhaar number to verify and validate their identity credentials either electronically or through offline verification.

While sharing Aadhaar with any trusted entity, the same level of caution may be exercised which one does at the time of sharing a Mobile number, Bank account number, or any other identity document like Passport, Voter Id, PAN, or Ration Card etc, the UIDAI said.

Wherever a resident does not wish to share his or her Aadhaar number, the UIDAI provides a facility for generating a Virtual Identifier (VID). One can easily generate VID by visiting the official website or via myaadhaar portal, and use it for authentication in place of the Aadhaar number. This VID can be changed after the end of the calendar day.

The UIDAI also provides the facility of Aadhaar locking as well as biometric locking. If a resident is not likely to use Aadhaar for a period of time, he or she may lock Aadhaar or biometrics for such a time period. The same can be unlocked conveniently and instantly, as and when required.

The UIDAI provides a technologically advanced ecosystem to ensure a safe, smooth and speedy authentication experience for the Aadhaar number holder. The various provisions of the Aadhaar Act and its Regulations mandate that the entities taking Aadhaar numbers from the residents use and store it in a secure and legally permissible manner.

”Entities seeking the Aadhaar are obligated to obtain consent which should specify the purpose for which it is being taken,” the UIDAI said.
A resident can check the Aadhaar authentication history for the last six months on the UIDAI website or m-Aadhaar app. Also, the UIDAI intimates about every authentication over email. Therefore, linking email Id with Aadhaar will ensure that a resident gets an intimation every time his or her Aadhaar number is authenticated.

Several services can be availed with OTP-based Aadhaar authentication, and keeping mobile numbers updated with Aadhaar is a beneficial move.
The UIDAI also urges residents not to leave their Aadhaar letter/PVC Card, or its copy thereof, unattended.