Worried about your Aadhaar card being misused? Use this method to stay safe

Aadhaar cards have become an integral part of the govt’s ecosystem to access some critical services. Often you might come across authorities or even some private companies asking for your Aadhaar number. For Aadhaar cardholders who are not comfortable in providing their crucial details, the govt has introduced a unique method called ‘Masked Aadhaar’.

The Masked Aadhaar option allows you to mask your Aadhaar number in your downloaded e-Aadhaar. Masked Aadhaar number implies replacing of first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number with some characters like “xxxx-xxxx” while only last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible. The use of this will provide some amount of added safety as the receiver won’t have access to the complete Aadhaar number. Even if this Masked Aadhaar is misplaced, it will be relatively safe.

All eligible people can download the Masked Aadhaar from the UIDAI website or they can get it at any Aadhaar centre. While the Masked Aadhaar won’t have the entire Aadhaar number, it will have the QR Code, it contains demographic information and photograph of the resident, but not the Aadhaar number.

According to the govt, the cardholder will have the option to use masked Aadhaar in place of any other ID. It is also possible to mask the date of birth on the card, if the user so pleases.
The card can still be used as identification at airports and on trains for ticket verification, linking mobile numbers, or even at tourist places in India. Agencies should have no problem in accepting the Masked Aadhaar.

How to download your Masked Aadhaar:

-Go to the official UIDAI website (myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in)
-You will find ‘My Aadhaar’ option in the tabs
-From the drop-down menu, select ‘Download Aadhaar’ option
-You’ll be asked to enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number or Virtual ID or Enrolment number
-After that you just have to select the ‘Masked Aadhaar’ option.
-In the following step, you’ll need to verify the captcha code
-The user can then hit on ‘Send OTP’ option from the drop-down menu.
-Once you enter the OTP from registered phone, you can download the Masked Aadhaar

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