India In A Digital World Where The Cost Of Sensitive Personal Data Is Just Rs 500
This proves that the Spam Caller and Scamsters have direct access to our bank account balances and know when to call, casting a huge cloud of doubt over the security systems maintained by our Banks as a whole.
The Digpu News Bottomline
Our readers and the Digpu staff alike can agree to the fact that Spam calls from Banks, Insurance Companies, Credit Card Companies, etc. have increased manifolds in the recent past. While it appears that with renewed guidelines for text messages, TRAI is trying to catch a hold of the issue but it is not clear as to what is being done to penalize the major banks and companies who have not complied with these guidelines yet. According to the latest list of defaulters issued by TRAI, here are the 39 Banks and Companies yet to comply with the new rules:
- A&A Dukaan Financial Services Private Limited
- Angel Broking Limited
- Axis Bank Limited
- Bajaj Finance Limited
- Bandhan Bank Limited
- Bank of baroda
- Bank of india
- Canara Bank
- Central Bank of India
- Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited
- Delhivery Private Limited
- Federal Bank
- Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd.
- Freecharge Payment Technologies Private Limited
- Hdfc Bank Limited
- Icici Bank Limited
- Idbi Bank Limited
- Idfc First Bank Limited
- Indiabulis Consumer Finance Limited
- Indian Overseas Bank
- Instakart Services Private Limited
- Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd
- Kotak Securities Limited
- Life Insurance Corporation of India
- Medlife Wellness Retail Private Limited
- National Stock Exchange of India Limited
- Psi Phi Global Solutions Private Limited
- Punjab National Bank
- Rajasthan State Health Society
- Rblbanklimited
- Reliance Retail Limited
- Samsung India Electronics Private Limited
- SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited
- State Bank of India
- Supermarket Grocery Supplied Private Limited
- Tata Ala Life Insurance Company Limited
- Union Bank of India
- Vedantu Innovations Private Limited
- Yes Bank Limited
With regard to Data breaches, according to the latest information given by the Ministry of Home Affairs, there was a humungous 300% rise in cyber-attacks in the country in 2020. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic cyber-attacks rose to 1,158,208 in 2020 as compared to 394,499 in 2019, the Union home ministry told Parliament, citing the data from Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). This means that our sensitive data, including the biometrics collected by UIDAI for Aadhar are literally at the mercy of hackers who might be seated in Iran, Pakistan, France or the North-Pole. And that despite repeated assurances by the government, it is as clueless in this regard as we people.
With inter-linkage between our Phone Numbers, Bank Accounts, Aadhar Number and PANs, it will take only a few minutes for a hacker to figure out the others if he has one or better, all of them might be available for sale on the Dark Web right now, for a sum as paltry as Rs. 500.
As data is predicted to be the future currency of the world, here are a few relevant questions that come up in one’s mind:
- Did the Narendra Modi led Indian Government shove Digitization down the throats of Indians and ram India into a Digital World where the cost of their sensitive personal data is Rs. 500/-?
- Isn’t it time for the state to formulate a comprehensive Data Protection Code and make individuals the sole proprietors of their personal data?
- Are we inches away from all the money disappearing from all the bank accounts one day?
India has been forcibly digitized at the cost of lives and small businesses now we have to wait and watch where this is going to take the country. To the zenith of commerce or the dungeon of Dark Web.
