The increasing foothold of Aadhaar in our lives has been constantly accompanied by a fear of misuse of data available with the unique identification system. This fear was stoked once again after a media report claimed on Thursday that details of over one billion Aadhaar numbers were available for Rs 500.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was quick to dismiss these claims, assuring that the biometric and personal data in their database is safe. The Aadhaar-issuing authority stated that it is looking into the matter.

"As UIDAI maintains a complete log and traceability of the facility, the legal action including lodging of FIR against the persons involved in the instant case is being done," the authority said.

Talking to a news channel UIDAI Chairman Ajay Bhushan Pandey stated that reports of Aadhaar details of more than 1 billion being sold is an instance of misreporting. He added that access to UIDAI database has only been given to taluka officials in districts for grievance redressal purpose.

As of now, Indians are required to link everything from phone numbers to bank accounts, and everything in between, to their Aadhaar numbers. The reach of Aadhaar makes it a likely target for misuse. However, Aadhaar card holders can make sure that their details are not being accessed by someone else.

The 'Aadhaar Authentication History' option on the UIDAI website allows you to check where your Aadhaar number was used for authentication. You can also register a complaint with the authority if you find some suspicious activity involving your details.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to the UIDAI website and click on Aadhaar Authentication History option under Aadhaar Services section on the homepage.

2. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and the security code in designated fields. Then, click on Generate OTP.

3. You will receive the OTP on your registered mobile number. On entering this, you can select which type of authentication you want to check from All, Biometrics, Demographics, OTP, Demographic & Biometric, Biometric & OTP, and Demographic & OTP.

4. The UIDAI website provides authentication history of the preferred option for the past seven months. You can also view history for a specific period too.

5. A new OTP will be sent to your phone number which leads to detailed authentication history of the selected dates. If you find something off in these records, you can file a complaint with UIDAI by dialling 1947.

This option is useful when reports of data breaches keep cropping up every now and then. In November last year, 210 government websites were reportedly making Aadhaar data public. The UIDAI had stated that the biometric data is secure with it under heavy encryption, and the demographic data cannot be used without that.