The Indian government has deactivated more than 25 million Aadhaar biometric identity numbers registered to deceased individuals to maintain database integrity and prevent fraud or misuse, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada announced in the Lok Sabha on February 4.
“The main goal is to keep the Aadhaar database clean and prevent fraud or misuse,” Prasada said. The Unique Identification Authority of India, which administers the Aadhaar system, conducted the cleanup to ensure the world’s largest biometric identity database remains current and secure.
The deactivation initiative is part of broader 2026 system upgrades that emphasize user consent and privacy. The cleanup initiative complements other security measures, including enabled biometric data locking features that allow Aadhaar holders to protect their fingerprint and iris data.
The system cleanup maintains integrity for expanding use cases like Aadhaar-linked biometric UPI payments launched in October 2025. UIDAI has sought liveness and contactless fingerprint technology to strengthen the system’s resilience against spoofing and fraud.
Aadhaar holders can now manage biometric locking, authentication permissions, and consent history more easily through an updated mobile application. The new Aadhaar app includes a death reporting feature enabling family members to report deceased individuals, facilitating database maintenance. India’s Aadhaar system now employs multiple security checks including OTP, biometrics, and device validation.
With over 1.3 billion Aadhaar numbers issued since the program’s inception, the 25 million deactivations represent approximately 1.9% of all enrolled identities. The cleanup addresses longstanding concerns about deceased persons’ biometric credentials being exploited for fraudulent benefit claims, financial transactions, and identity theft.
Sources: India.com
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By Ji-seo Kim
