Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to issue a strong advisory on December 11 to Virtual Private Network providers and online intermediaries. The ministry warned them against allowing access to websites that publish or circulate personal information of Indian citizens without consent.
The ministry pointed out platforms such as proxyearth.org and leakdata.org for enabling users to look up sensitive information including names, phone numbers, email IDs and addresses by simply entering an Indian mobile number. Officials said these activities pose a serious threat to privacy and violate Indian laws governing data protection and digital safety.
The advisory reminded intermediaries of their legal responsibilities under the Information Technology Act 2000 and the Information Technology Rules 2021. It stated that service providers must not host, display or provide access to content that belongs to another person, invades privacy or affects national security, public order or India’s sovereignty and integrity. The government also cautioned that VPN services, which are often used to bypass access restrictions, must ensure their systems are not used to view or distribute illegal or privacy violating data.
According to the ministry, some online platforms are storing and exposing citizens’ personal information without authorisation. These websites reportedly act as data aggregation sources and may be using leaked or scraped databases to display people’s details. Officials warned that such exposure can lead to identity theft, targeted scams, financial fraud or stalking, creating serious cyber safety risks.
MeitY said that the flagged websites were operating in violation of Indian data protection and IT laws. The ministry instructed intermediaries to block access or remove such links immediately. It also noted that failing to comply could lead to legal action and loss of safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act, which apply only when platforms follow due diligence.
The advisory is part of the government’s continued effort to strengthen digital privacy enforcement as India moves toward a full data protection framework under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Officials emphasised that intermediaries such as VPN providers and social platforms must take proactive steps to stop the circulation of unlawfully obtained personal data.
The ministry has urged platforms to deploy stronger technical safeguards, improve content monitoring and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement agencies.
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