Sites Leaking Indians’ Personal Data Concerned MeitY Alarming VPN Providers -

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“Indian’s confidential data is leaking through sites that concern MeitY, which alarmed VPN providers.”

VPN providers, Personal Data, and internet intermediaries are advised by the Electronics and IT Ministry not to allow access to websites that reveal residents’ personal information, such as proxyearth.org and leakdata.org.

Data Leaks posing privacy hazards flagged by the government

On December 11, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) strongly advised online intermediaries and Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers not to allow access to websites that publish or distribute Indian citizens’ personal information without authorization.

For allegedly enabling users to search sensitive personal information, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, and addresses, by simply inputting an Indian mobile number, the ministry flagged proxyearth.org and leakdata.org, among other websites.

MeitY said that these platforms violate Indian laws safeguarding individuals’ data and digital security, characterizing such activities as a major threat to personal safety and privacy.

Advisory warns middlemen of their legal responsibilities

The guidance emphasizes that the Information Technology Act of 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021 impose legal obligations on online intermediaries and service providers to avoid platform abuse.

It highlights that intermediaries are prohibited from hosting, displaying, or granting access to content that is someone else’s property, violates privacy, or jeopardizes public order, national security, or India’s integrity and sovereignty.

MeitY also cautioned that VPN services, which frequently allow users to get around content limitations, need to make sure their infrastructure isn’t being used to access or share data that is illegal or violates privacy.

Ministry’s Findings

Some websites are unlawfully keeping and disclosing citizens’ personal information, allowing users to look up people’s details using phone numbers or other identifiers.

Mobile numbers can be used on websites to look for personal information.

These websites are said to serve as hubs for data aggregation, providing access to databases that may have been assembled by illegal leaks, scraping, or online system breaches.

Authorities have voiced worry that such data disclosure could result in financial fraud, identity theft, targeted scams, or stalking, creating significant cyber safety issues.

MeitY

The flagged websites were operating in violation of Indian IT and data protection rules, and intermediaries were instructed to promptly remove or prevent access to such links.

Platforms that break Indian law

The warning also reaffirmed that failure to comply could result in legal repercussions, such as the termination of safe harbor protections under Section 79 of the IT Act, which shields intermediaries from liability only in cases where they exercise due diligence and act responsibly.

The ministry’s warning is a component of India’s larger effort to strengthen regulations pertaining to digital privacy and stop online actions that use residents’ data without permission.

Focus is on user safety and accountability

The action demonstrates the government’s continued focus on data responsibility, especially as India moves toward a comprehensive data protection framework under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Officials

The guidance seeks to reaffirm that intermediaries from social media sites to VPN providers must actively take responsibility for stopping the spread of personal information that has been obtained illegally.

MeitY has called for platforms to tighten content monitoring, implement strong technical safeguards, and notify law enforcement of any suspicious activity.

About The Author

Suraj Koli is a content specialist in technical writing about cybersecurity & information security. He has written many amazing articles related to cybersecurity concepts, with the latest trends in cyber awareness and ethical hacking. Find out more about “Him.”