Old data: Government on CoWIN data breach on Telegram
After media reports on Monday alleged a data leak from the government-run Co-WIN app used for COVID-19 vaccination, government sources claimed it was "old data" while insisting that they are still verifying it. Reportedly, the Telegram bot that leaked the information based on an individual's phone number continues to be active. The screenshots of the leaks were tweeted by Trinamool Congress's (TMC) Saket Gokhale.
Why does this story matter?
In contrast to the rate of data digitization over the last two decades, data protection laws in India remain lax, as the data privacy of common users is often compromised, sold to spammers, and used for targeted advertising. The latest incident prior to this was reported in March when the personal information of 16.8 crore Indians was leaked.
PM Modi Ignoring Ashwini Vaishnav's "incompetence": Gokhale
Gokhale pointed fingers at Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, who heads the Information Technology portfolio along with Railways, asking, "How long will the incompetence of Ashwini Vaishnaw be ignored by PM Modi?" He also questioned the Home Ministry's "ignorance," terming it a matter of national concern.
Why home ministry not aware of leak: Gokhale
Leaders verified that leaked information belonged to them
The News Minute said it used the Telegram bot and accessed details of several political leaders and ministers. These included Telangana's Information Technology Minister KT Rama Rao, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, BJP's Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. Except for Vardhan, the leaders confirmed that their details harvested from the Telegram bot were authentic.
Breach impossible, show me proof: RS Sharma
The details leaked also included Aadhaar numbers, phone numbers, date of birth, passport details, and others fed in the Co-WIN app at the time of registration. However, Co-WIN high power panel chairman and National Health Authority Chief Executive Officer RS Sharma denied any breach occurred, even though the report stated that his personal information, as well as that of notable journalists, was exposed.
Sharma reportedly submitted passport details to Co-WIN
Old data, we are still verifying it: MeitY
It is old data, we are still verifying it; we have sought a report regarding the same: Sources in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on alleged Covid vaccination data leak— ANI (@ANI) June 12, 2023
