Old data: Government on CoWIN data breach on Telegram
What's the story
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.
Context
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.
Quote
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.
Twitter Post
Why home ministry not aware of leak: Gokhale
👉 Why is the Modi Govt incl Home Ministry NOT AWARE of this leak & why haven't Indians been informed about a data breach?
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 12, 2023
👉 Who has the Modi Govt given access to sensitive personal data of Indians incl Aadhaar & Passport nos. which enabled this leak?
(6/7)
Leaders
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.
Details
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.
Twitter Post
Sharma reportedly submitted passport details to Co-WIN
Senior BJP leader @M_Lekhi got vaccinated at the 8th floor counter of @aiims_newdelhi. Telegram bot tells journalists @thefourthlive, a digital media platform in Malayalam, who dug up a story on massive breach of #Cowin data base (2/6) pic.twitter.com/dq7xhpx5RG
— B Sreejan (@b_sreejan) June 12, 2023
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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