Over 2.5 Crore Aadhaar Numbers of Deceased Individuals Deactivated

Aadhaar Database Clean-Up Initiative

New Delhi, Feb 4: To combat identity fraud, more than 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals have been deactivated, as reported by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.

Aadhaar stands as the largest biometric identification system globally, currently serving around 134 crore active users.

Prasada stated, “In an effort to uphold the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated over 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers of individuals who have passed away.”

He emphasized the importance of deactivating an Aadhaar number upon a person's death to avert potential identity theft or misuse of the number for accessing welfare benefits.

It was noted that the state or union territory listed in an Aadhaar holder's details may differ from where the death was officially recorded.

Additionally, the Minister outlined various strategies implemented to mitigate identity fraud risks and ensure secure delivery of benefits across the nation.

The biometric lock/unlock feature allows Aadhaar holders to 'lock' their biometrics, thereby preventing unauthorized authentication attempts.

The introduction of face authentication with a ‘liveness detection feature’ aims to thwart spoofing attempts and confirm the beneficiary's physical presence during transactions.

The promotion of Aadhaar Secure QR Code, paperless offline e-KYC, e-Aadhaar, and Aadhaar verifiable credentials facilitates offline identity verification.

UIDAI guarantees that core biometric data of Aadhaar holders is not shared in any form and mandates the use of Aadhaar data vaults by all requesting entities to store Aadhaar numbers securely in an encrypted format.

Additional measures include regular database sanitization, de-duplication, and the deactivation of Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals. Updates to an Aadhaar holder's demographic information are permitted only in accordance with UIDAI's specified documentation.

Furthermore, UIDAI has introduced a new Aadhaar app that enables Aadhaar holders to share verified credentials securely and seamlessly with Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSE).