A cybersecurity firm, Resecurity, has revealed that data of 815 million Indians, including Aadhaar card and passport details, is being sold on the dark web. Hackers, who breached the Indian Council of Medical Research database, are offering Aadhaar and passport data for $80,000. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which holds Aadhaar data, has denied privacy breaches, but a government audit in April 2022 exposed inadequate data security measures. Aadhaar data has previously been compromised, with leaks traced back to village-level operatives. India must acknowledge and address these large-scale data leaks, especially given the government's extensive data holdings. As cybercrimes escalate in the digital age, there is a need for stronger government intervention to protect individual liberties under the Information Technology Act of 2000 and prevent snooping activities by various government entities.
A cybersecurity firm, Resecurity, has revealed that data of 815 million Indians, including Aadhaar card and passport details, is being sold on the dark web. Hackers, who breached the Indian Council of Medical Research database, are offering Aadhaar and passport data for $80,000. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which holds Aadhaar data, has denied privacy breaches, but a government audit in April 2022 exposed inadequate data security measures. Aadhaar data has previously been compromised, with leaks traced back to village-level operatives. India must acknowledge and address these large-scale data leaks, especially given the government's extensive data holdings. As cybercrimes escalate in the digital age, there is a need for stronger government intervention to protect individual liberties under the Information Technology Act of 2000 and prevent snooping activities by various government entities.