CoWIN doesn’t collect date of birth, address: Govt sources on alleged data breach

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, June 12, 2023: CoWIN, the Covid-19 vaccination registration portal, does not collect any personal details of an individual, including date of birth and address, government sources said on Monday.

 

The development came after opposition leaders claimed a major privacy breach on the CoWIN portal wherein personal details of vaccinated people, including their mobile numbers, Aadhaar numbers, Passport numbers, Voter IDs and details of family members were leaked and "freely available" on the portal.

The portal only collects the date when the individual has received either one dose or two doses or two doses and a precaution dose, they said.

The Union Health Ministry is working on a detailed report on the alleged CoWIN data leak, government sources said.

"The information is being examined right now," they further said.

WHAT DID OPPOSITION LEADERS ALLEGE?

In an elaborate Twitter thread, Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Saket Gokhale mentioned some high-profile names of opposition leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP and TMC Leader Derek O’Brien, former Union Minister P Chidambaram, whose details he claimed were now available in the public domain.

Gokhale also named some journalists, saying their private information, too, was available online.

He further emphasised that the "personal details of literally every Indian who got a Covid-19 vaccination are freely available on this leaked database".

"Question is: How did personal details, including passport number, Aadhaar number, etc. get leaked when Modi government claims it follows "strong data security"? Why is the Modi government, including the Home Ministry, not aware of this leak and why haven’t Indians been informed about a data breach? Who has the Modi government given access to sensitive personal data of Indians including Aadhaar and Passport numbers, which enabled this leak?" Gokhale wrote.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule also flagged the news of the alleged leak, deeming them as "deeply concerning and unacceptable", if true.

"If these reports hold true, they are not only deeply concerning but also unacceptable! The government owes us immediate clarification and must ensure those responsible for this breach are held accountable," Sule wrote, quoting a news report.