Afraid of Aadhaar Misuse? Here’s a Guide to Track Its Usage History!

As per a notification from the Department of Revenue, the Government of India has made it mandatory for Aadhaar cardholders to link their 12 digit unique identification number to their bank accounts by December 31, 2017.

So, if you have linked your Aadhaar card to your bank account, is the fear of your biometric IDs being misused stressing you out or holding you back?

If yes, then it is time to heave a sigh of relief! To tackle the growing concerns of citizens about the safety of linking their Aadhaar cards to accounts that hold confidential information, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made available the option of retrieving the history of Aadhaar card usage, for a period of time.

You can now visit the UIDAI’s official website, and easily track the history of your Aadhaar card. This will enable you to know the details where the unique identification code was used.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you track your card usage history details:

1. Go to the official website of the UIDAI – uidai.gov.in

2. Go to the Aadhaar services tab and click on ‘Aadhaar Authentication History.’

3. This will redirect you to a new page. You need to enter your unique Aadhar number here.

4. Click on generate OTP after filling the security code given in the box

5. This will open a new page. You can now select the type of authentication you want to check here from a list of options.

The options available include biometrics, demographics, OTP, demographic & biometric, biometric & OTP and demographic & OTP options. If you wish to check every entry made through your Aadhaar, select the option ‘All.’

6. Remember UIDAI can provide you with a history of usage from the last seven months till date. You have to now enter the date range for which you want to retrieve the history.

7. Enter the generated OTP and click on ‘Submit.’

You will now see search results listing the date, time and type of Aadhaar authentication used. It is important to note that the page won’t be able to show you who made the requests.

But in case, the history and the details reveal something dubious, you can lock and unlock your Aadhaar information online, whenever you need to use it.

Read more: Making Aadhaar Safe: What India Can Learn From Other Countries With Biometric Databases

Over the last months, the Government has made linking of Aadhaar card at various levels mandatory. Apart from linking your Aadhaar to your bank account, PAN card and mobile phone number, you are also required to link your Aadhaar for filing IT returns, to hold mutual funds, insurance policies, PPF and using small savings schemes like Kisan Vikas Patra.

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