Massive Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of Vaccinated Indians on CoWIN Portal

Delhi, 12th June 2023: In a shocking incident, a major data breach has occurred within the Modi Government, resulting in the leak of personal details of all vaccinated individuals registered on the government’s CoWIN portal. The leaked information, including mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, passport numbers, voter IDs, details of family members, and more, has reportedly been made freely available on the messaging platform Telegram.

Prominent political figures and journalists have been affected by this breach, with their personal data being exposed. Screenshots shared by TMC leader Saket Gokhale on Twitter reveal that individuals such as Rajya Sabha MP and TMC Leader Derek O’Brien, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Haribansh Narayan Singh, Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Sanjay Raut, as well as journalists Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, Barkha Dutt of Mojo Story, Dhanya Rajendran of The NewsMinute, and Rahul Shivshankar of Times Now, have been affected.

The gravity of this breach cannot be understated, as the personal details of every Indian citizen who received a Covid-19 vaccination are now accessible within this leaked database. This incident raises serious concerns regarding the Modi Government’s claim of maintaining “strong data security” protocols.

The questions that arise from this breach are numerous. How did personal information, including passport numbers and Aadhaar numbers, get leaked despite the government’s emphasis on data security? Why is the Modi Government, including the Home Ministry, seemingly unaware of this breach, and why haven’t Indian citizens been informed about this data breach?

Furthermore, who has been granted access to sensitive personal data, such as Aadhaar and passport numbers, by the Modi Government, enabling this leak to occur? This breach is a matter of significant national concern, and urgent action is needed to address the situation.

The Minister in-charge of this incident is Ashwini Vaishnaw, who heads the portfolios of Electronics, Communications, IT, and Railways. The incompetence of Ashwini Vaishnaw in handling this breach raises questions about the Prime Minister’s silence on the matter.