3 weeks ago

Doxxing and data leaks threaten India's digital dignity

Doxxing and data leaks threaten India's digital dignity
Doxxing, data leaks and the battle for India’s digital dignity · thehansindia.com

In India, people now use their phones for almost everything, like paying for street food or using government websites.

Every tap and click leaves behind clues about you, called a digital footprint.

Some bad people steal those clues and share private things like your address or phone number with everyone on the internet, which is called doxxing.

Others use clever computer tools to make fake pictures and voices that look completely real—those are called deepfakes.

Sometimes big companies lose lots of people's private information, and criminals sell it on secret websites.

India made a new law called the DPDP Act to make companies keep personal data safe.

But the law does not clearly call doxxing or cyber-stalking crimes, so police find it hard to catch the bad people.

The article says India needs new laws with tough punishments, websites that remove harmful posts within 24 hours, and school lessons about staying safe online.

Protecting our information is as important as protecting our bodies, because digital rights are human rights.

Key facts

Core threats
Doxxing, deepfakes, coercive extortion schemes and systemic data leaks
Key law
Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and its subsequent operational rules
Older law
Information Technology (IT) Act of 2000
Leaked data types
Aadhaar details, medical records, bank account numbers
Legal gap
No explicit criminal definition of doxxing or cyber-stalking; reliance on generic Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions
Targeted groups
Journalists, activists, women and marginalized voices
Proposed reforms
Codify cyber offences, 24-hour emergency takedowns, cyber forensic capacity building, digital literacy education
Key principle
Digital rights are human rights; personal data belongs to the 'Data Principal'

Quotes

Justice K S Puttaswamy (Retd)

Retired Supreme Court judge and former constitution‑conservation advocate

“"Digital rights are human rights. In an era where a person’s digital footprint is nearly inseparable from their physical existence, safeguarding cyber privacy is essential to protecting constitutional liberty."”
thehansindia.com
“"Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say"”
thehansindia.com

Sources

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