It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology that certain websites were leaking sensitive personal information including Aadhaar and PAN card details of citizens.
The government has blocked some websites that expose sensitive personal identifiable information, including Aadhaar and PAN card details of Indian citizens. This information was given in an official statement on Thursday. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, had found security flaws in these websites. After that the government has taken the step of blocking these websites.
Some websites selling people’s data
According to the statement, “It has come to the notice of the Ministry that some websites were exposing sensitive personal information including Aadhaar and PAN card details of Indian citizens. This matter has been taken seriously, as the government gives top priority to safe cyber security practices and protection of personal data. Accordingly, prompt action has been taken to block these websites. ”
Complaint lodged with the police
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has lodged a complaint with the concerned police authorities for violation of the provision prohibiting public display of Aadhaar-related details under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. The statement said, “CERT-In has revealed some security flaws from the analysis of these websites. The concerned website owners have been provided guidance on the action to be taken at their level to strengthen the ICT infrastructure and rectify the flaws. “Under the IT Act, any adversely affected party can approach the adjudicating officer to file a complaint and seek compensation. IT secretaries of the states have been empowered as adjudicating officers. Last week, a cyber security researcher claimed that Star Health Insurance officials had sold the data of 3.1 crore customers.
