Leak of personal info from CoWIN- Is Your Data Really Unsafe?
A few days ago, some opposition leaders alleged the leak of personal data from CoWIN. This news was particularly worrisome for the Indian population who had extensively used the app during the pandemic. But, the main question is- is your data really unsafe? Was data from CoWIN leaked? What are the next steps?
On June 12th, it was reported that a telegram account had shared sensitive and personal data of many people which was stored on the Co-WIN portal. This breach of privacy and data impacted lakhs of Indians. However, the account and channel that promoted it were later deactivated, and the data was removed.
What data was leaked?
Names, personal phone numbers, Aadhar numbers, passport numbers, Voter ID details and details of vaccination taken were data that were made public.
TMC leader @SaketGokhale alleged that personal information of each and everyone who had been vaccinated against Covid were available online after a CoWIN data breach.https://t.co/CskOqvKhk2
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) June 12, 2023
Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also lodged a complaint with the cyber police station in Kolkata regarding the leak of personal data from the CoWIN portal.
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He sighted that his own data was also available in this data leak-
“On June 12, I was made aware by my well-wishers that my personal information such as my date of birth, passport details and mobile number were publicly made available through a social media platform/app”
He further added, “ It seems there is a notorious conspiracy at play to make available sensitive information to private players through government resources.”
Govt denied farmer deaths during farmers protest.
Govt denied deaths due to Oxygen shortage during Covid.
Govt denied deaths at ATM queues during demonetization.
The same govt has now denied CoWIN data breach.
— PuNsTeR™ (@Pun_Starr) June 12, 2023
The Response From The Government
Modi Govt & its Minister shockingly contradict each other while trying to bury the truth of the breach of personal details of 100+ crore Indians from COWIN app:
👇After the leak of personal details from COWIN app was reported y'day, the Modi Govt immediately
(a) termed the… pic.twitter.com/f81mMokjvZ
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 13, 2023
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The government responded to these allegations by saying that the data from the Ministry of Health’s Co-WIN was completely safe and there was no leak. It also said that the ‘Health Ministry had requested CERT-In to look into this issue and submit a report.’
So, was there a leak?
Many news reports along with individuals have confirmed the leak. However, the government calls these reports “baseless and mischievous”.
In any case, it is important that the leak is investigated into and the Government must assure people the safety and security of their data. This also puts into question the data privacy laws of India, rather, the absence of a comprehensive law to safeguard our data.
Steps must be taken to ensure that the data does not fall into the wrong hands and the life of so many Indians are compromised.
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