<ul><li>The Indian government has refuted that there has been a direct breach from its <keyword id="17689208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin-database" source="Orion">CoWIN database</keyword> that was used for <keyword id="9257042" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-vaccination" source="Orion">COVID vaccination</keyword>.</li><li>The data leak, reported on June 12, is from an earlier <keyword id="608402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-breach" source="Orion">data breach</keyword>, says the government.</li><li>The Union Minister has clarified the situation on Twitter.</li></ul> The Indian government has swung into action after reports about a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/covid-19-vaccination-data-reportedly-leaked-id-proof-date-of-birth-and-other-details-available-on-telegram/articleshow/100931799.cms"> data breach</a> from the <keyword id="10440405" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin" source="Orion">CoWIN</keyword> database came to light. The government has said that it “does not appear” that the CoWIN app and database have been “directly breached”. CloudSEK, an AI <keyword id="17689209" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-risk-management" source="Orion">digital risk management</keyword> company has released a <a href="https://www.cloudsek.com/threatintelligence/cowin-data-leak-claim-and-cloudsek-analysis">report</a> which agrees with the government’s claim that the leak is not new. <keyword id="205969" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajeev-chandrasekhar" source="Orion">Rajeev Chandrasekhar</keyword>, the union minister of state for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology took to Twitter to clarify the government’s stand on the <keyword id="13005926" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="cowin-data-leak" source="Orion">CoWIN data leak</keyword> issue. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Data leak from a previous breach?" comment="subhead" text="Data leak from a previous breach?">Data leak from a previous breach?</cmsannotation> Chandrasekhar in his tweet mentioned that the data being used by the Telegram bot is from a threat actor database, which is being populated using previously stolen data. To recall, data of over 20,000 people, including their name, mobile number, Covid-19 test result and their address was<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/data-meant-for-cowin-portal-leaked-online-over-20-000-indians-likely-affected-101642767559692.html"> reportedly</a> leaked in 2022. In another instance, data of over 15 crore citizens was<a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/cowin-apps-covid-19-vaccination-data-of-15-crore-users-leaked-and-up-for-sale-government-denies-breach/769434"> reportedly</a> leaked in 2021 and the hackers put the data on sale. The government however refuted the claim and said that the CoWIN platform was never hacked. Interestingly, the government had so far not confirmed a data breach and has only now confirmed that there was a breach in the past, without revealing any information about the extent of the breach or the cause. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="API exists to pull data without OTP" comment="subhead" text="API exists to pull data without OTP">API exists to pull data without OTP</cmsannotation> The government in a<a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1931691"> press release</a> has said that while there are no public APIs (application programming interface) to pull CoWIN data without an OTP, there are APIs, which have been shared with third parties such as ICMR that can pull data from CoWIN with just the phone number, similar to what we have seen on the Telegram bot. The government however claims that requests are accepted only from a trusted API. “There are some APIs which have been shared with third parties such as ICMR for sharing data. It is reported that one such API has a feature of sharing the data by calling using just a mobile number of Aadhaar. However, even this API is very specific and the requests are only accepted from a trusted API which has been white-listed by the Co-WIN application.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Expert take" comment="subhead" text="Expert take">Expert take</cmsannotation> CloudSEK, which provides AI digital risk management solutions has analysed the telegram bot using XVigil, its AI digital risk platform. As per its analysis, the hacker does not have access to the CoWIN platform or its backend database. “Based on matching fields from Telegram data and previously reported incidents affecting Healthworker of a region, we assume the information was scraped through these compromised credentials,” CloudSEK said in its report. According to the company, the data is from a 2022 leak wherein a Russian cybercrime forum offered compromised access to the CoWIN platform for the Tamil Nadu region. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ikio-lighting-ipo-how-to-check-allotment-status-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/100939900.cms">IKIO Lighting IPO - How to check allotment status, listing date and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/covid-19-vaccination-data-reportedly-leaked-id-proof-date-of-birth-and-other-details-available-on-telegram/articleshow/100931799.cms">Covid-19 vaccination data reportedly leaked – ID proof, date of birth and other details available on Telegram</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/2000-note-withdrawal-how-to-exchange-notes-is-it-a-legal-tender-and-other-questions-answered/articleshow/100412941.cms">₹2,000 note withdrawal – How to exchange them, is it a legal tender and other questions answered</a>

Cyber security group’s AI analysis supports theory that CoWIN data leak not new

<ul><li>Data of people registered on CoWIN was claimed to be leaked on the dark web. </li><li>The claim has been refuted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. </li><li>Cybersecurity experts also call the leak to be a scam. </li></ul>The <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> has denied the <keyword id="11427682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin-data-leak">CoWIN data leak</keyword> claim that surfaced on social media. On Thursday, some social media posts alleging the sale of vaccination data collected on the CoWIN platform were leaked on the dark web. CoWIN is the Indian government's online platform where people can register for COVID-19 vaccine registration and slot booking. In response, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said, on Thursday night, that the reports about the leak are fake. The ministry also claimed that all the collected data from the platform is stored in a "safe and secure digital environment" and was not shared with third parties. The ministry has released a <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1726112">statement</a> in response to the alleged <keyword id="6360618" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-leak">data leak</keyword> of 150 million people vaccinated for Covid-19. It says the matter is being investigated by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), although they've considered it to be fake, initially. The leak was brought to light by a cybercrime intelligence platform tracker named DarkTracer. It tweeted a screenshot claiming to be "Database of covid19 vaccination India'' being sold by a reseller on the dark web named 'Dark Web Market' for $800 (approx ₹58,450). The screenshot shows that the data includes the name, mobile number, Aadhaar ID, and geolocation information of those who are vaccinated. <div type="twitter" handle="darktracer_int" handlename="DarkTracer : DarkWeb Criminal Intelligence" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1305707232898637824/Vj-O_A4b_normal.png" favoritecount="1041" retweetcount="719" status="[ALERT] Dark Leak Market on the DarkWeb has posted a post selling information of 150 Million COVID19 Vaccinated Peo… https://t.co/pjZSiackeL" createdat="1623328212000" id="1402966326390394886"></div> RS Sharma, chairman of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration dismissed the claim and said, “the data being claimed as having been leaked, such as geo-location of beneficiaries, is not even collected at CoWIN.” Experts call the data leak fake Cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia also said the claimed data leak to be fake, on Twitter. He said "This market is frequently posting fake data leaks and scamming people. They are just taking Bitcoin for nothing. Data Sample also not available anywhere." <div type="twitter" handle="rajaharia" handlename="Rajshekhar Rajaharia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1321786916505710592/mL9ugzP0_normal.jpg" favoritecount="162" retweetcount="103" status="[Alert] #CowinPortal Not Hacked!! Some Fake #DarkwebLeakMarket are claiming to sell data of 150 Million COVID19 Vac… https://t.co/ccF2ElAS14" createdat="1623336328000" id="1403000365453246465"></div> Rajahariya claims that this market has a history of posting fake data leaks and scamming people. They have not shared the data sample, and are charging in Bitcoins, even for the sample. He believes it is a Bitcoin scam. <div type="twitter" handle="rajaharia" handlename="Rajshekhar Rajaharia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1321786916505710592/mL9ugzP0_normal.jpg" favoritecount="18" retweetcount="1" status="This is the latest screenshots of this Fake Dark Leak Market. They are also charging for Sample Data. Not a single… https://t.co/eg3vjrH42s" createdat="1623338930000" id="1403011279166402567"></div> The data that is claimed to be leaked is not seen by anyone yet. Although the market has listed the advertisement on the dark web, the person/persons behind it has/have not provided a sample of the data. Usually, data sellers on the dark web provide free samples of the data on sale. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/online-entertainment-ticket-booking-platform-bookmyshow-lays-off-200-employees-amid-pandemic-woes/articleshow/83421346.cms" class="editor-rtfLink">Online entertainment ticket booking platform BookMyShow lays off 200 employees amid pandemic woes</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-ce-5g-tv-u1s-launched-in-india-price-specification-and-availability/articleshow/83403406.cms" class="editor-rtfLink">OnePlus Nord CE 5G, TV U1S launched in India – price, specifications and availability</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/chinas-cryptocurrency-crackdown-grows-with-1100-people-behind-bars-for-money-laundering/articleshow/83401581.cms" class="editor-rtfLink">China’s crypto crackdown grows, with 1100 people behind bars for money laundering</a>

Indian government claims vaccinated citizens' personal data 'safe and secure'; cybersecurity experts call 'data leak' a Bitcoin scam

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6199405" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ayushman-bharat" source="Orion">Ayushman Bharat</keyword> Digital Scheme aims to provide an integrated database to all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.</li><li>It is looking to collect information using a host of apps to allow interoperability between key players in the sector.</li><li>The chief of the National Health Authority compared the system to Unified Payment Interface. </li></ul>The Ayushman Bharat <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/national-digital-health-mission-all-details-here/articleshow/86550377.cms">Digital Mission</a> was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 27 to provide integrated health information on a single digital platform. For the mission, the system is looking to collect data from a host of apps into its database and focusing on interoperability between key players in the sector. In an interview with <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ayushman-bharat-digital-mission-upi-like-health-apps-with-common-database-indias-next-big-leap-rs-sharma-2556914">NDTV</a>, RS Sharma, the chief of the National Health Authority and CoWIN, explained the working of the new digital system and how it is looking to create a database with health data of patients on a single platform. While the system may aim to bridge the gap between various stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem, it will have access to sensitive data of citizens. He said that the broad objective of the mission is to make health services affordable, accessible and inclusive. "The system will be interoperable. Currently, we do have digital systems, but they are all in silos, whether it is any medical delivery system, pharmacy system. But this is going to make them all interoperable," RS Sharma added. Although it enables services like online consultation with doctors, it might expose patients' health records to private partners which may add a potential risk of data being used for targeted advertising by service providers. But it’s still too early to counter these factors in as the details about where the database will be stored, who will have access to it and how will it be used are still scarce. As per the report, RS Sharma explained the new digital mission by calling it a Unified Health Interface and drawing similarities with Unified Payment Interface (UPI). "For example, you use Ola app to book Ola vehicles, and Uber to book Uber taxis. But think of a situation where you have Ola app and can book any taxi on any platform. That's the interoperability this system is going to bring, and that is why we are calling it Unified Health Interface, similar to Unified Payment Interface, which means any patient-facing app can connect with the system," he said. There will be no limits on the number of apps that can be synced with the system to collect the health data of the patient. The chief of the National Health Authority also added that startups can “plug into the system, access data and make patient-facing apps”. While it clearly explains how startups can access the data to create applications, it does not tell us if users will have consented before their data is shared. As per its claims, the digital mission is looking to bridge the gap between various stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem through digital means. It is expected to help the citizens get better access to healthcare services in the country. The databases it is looking to maintain include that of healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals and individual health data. While this initiative may have the potential to strengthen the healthcare sector, if not secure, it could put the data of millions of citizens at risk. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/cyclone-gulab-leaves-a-devastating-effect-in-eastern-coast-of-india/slidelist/86585252.cms">Here are some of the images of devastation caused by Cyclone Gulab</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-60-students-test-positive-in-bengaluru-school/articleshow/86604715.cms">COVID-19: 60 students test positive in Bengaluru school</a>

India’s Digital Health Mission aims to track and store your health data using UPI-like apps

<ul><li>69% blamed <keyword id="6368751" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="banks" source="Orion">banks</keyword> and financial service providers, and 56% identified central government offices, databases, and staff for breach of personal data. </li><li>The largest group, constituting 72% of those surveyed, had their mobile numbers leaked, followed by email addresses (63%). </li><li>72% of respondents acknowledged that their personal details were leaked or are in the public domain. </li></ul><keyword id="608402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-breach" source="Orion">Data breach</keyword> stories are increasing by the day and this impacts one’s privacy directly. Who is to blame for the leaks? Well, a survey by community social media platform LocalCircles has found that 81% of Indians attribute the data leaks to state/local government offices, databases, and staff (such as RTO, municipality, hospitals, public distribution system, property registration office, etc.). 56% identified central government offices, databases, and staff (like EPF, Passport, CoWIN, Aarogya Setu, Aadhaar, Income Tax, Vehicle Ownership, Voter ID, etc.) as the culprits. The latest data breach involves COVID vaccination data of the Indian government. The Ministry of Health downplayed the breach but ordered CERT-In to probe how CoWIN portal data ended up on Telegram. The surveyed feel that penalties and disincentives as the personal data protection bill awaits parliament presentation, highlighting wider data security concerns. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Blame on telecom and financial services providers" comment="subhead" text="Blame on telecom and financial services providers">Blame on telecom and financial services providers</cmsannotation> Every three in four who were surveyed, i.e. 75% of respondents, pointed fingers at telecom service providers, 69% blamed banks and financial service providers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="eCommerce and payment apps/websites also the culprit?" comment="subhead" text="eCommerce and payment apps/websites also the culprit?">eCommerce and payment apps/websites also the culprit?</cmsannotation> Furthermore, 44% of the participants held eCommerce apps/sites responsible, while 31% pointed to payment apps/sites. Additionally, 25% of the respondents attributed the leaks to education institutes/apps and another 25% to various other businesses/entities. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Majority feel their personal data has been compromised" comment="subhead" text="Majority feel their personal data has been compromised">Majority feel their personal data has been compromised</cmsannotation> The survey also focused on determining whether respondents' <keyword id="74417" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="personal-information" source="Orion">personal information</keyword> was present in the public domain and if any data had been compromised. The question asked was, "What personal details of yours are currently in the public domain or in databases from where they have been leaked?" A mere 9% of participants stated that "no personal details have been leaked or are in the public domain." However, a significant 72% of respondents acknowledged that their "personal details were leaked or are in the public domain." On the other hand, 19% of those surveyed refrained from providing a definitive response, opting for "can't say." As a result, it was observed that seven out of ten citizens surveyed believe that one or more of their personal data elements have already been exposed to the public or compromised in databases. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Most leaked personal information" comment="subhead" text="Most leaked personal information">Most leaked personal information</cmsannotation> The survey also sought to find out what information of citizens is easily available in the public domain. Among the respondents who reported that their personal information had been leaked, the survey identified the most common data elements that were compromised. The largest group, constituting 72% of those surveyed, had their mobile numbers leaked. Additionally, 63% of respondents had their email addresses exposed, while 53% reported that their Aadhaar numbers were compromised. Furthermore, 50% stated that their PAN card numbers had been leaked, and 25% had their Voter ID numbers exposed. For a smaller percentage of respondents, multiple pieces of personal information were compromised, as revealed by the following results: 22% had their credit/debit card numbers leaked, 9% disclosed their annual income/salary, and 19% reported other details that were not specifically mentioned in the survey. It is evident from the survey results that some individuals experienced the unfortunate situation of having multiple aspects of their personal information exposed.

Data privacy: Three in four Indians hold public sector offices responsible for breach

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 per cent has been seen in individuals fully inoculated against coronavirus according to the data uploaded on India COVID-19 Tracker till January 2, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday. Responding to a question, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed the India COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, by merging mainly three national databases -- CoWIN, National COVID-19 Testing database and COVID-19 India portal. The tracker depicts vaccine effectiveness against death -- the ability of vaccines to reduce death -- using person time analysis from April 12, 2021 to January 2, 2022. "The tracker is updated periodically and displays the effectiveness of partial and full vaccination against COVID-19. "The latest data analysed and uploaded till January 2, 2022 depicts vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 per cent in fully vaccinated individuals against COVID-19," Mandaviya said in a written reply. The data is analysed and presented as per the reports submitted by respective state governments. Omicron variant is the dominant variant in the country presently. Whole genome sequencing for Omicron variant is done for all RTPCR positive samples from international travellers arriving since November 28, 2021. Further, for in-country sequencing RT-PCR positive samples having CT-value of less than 25 are referred from sentinel sites in various states regularly, Mandaviya said. The Government of India is supporting states in their endeavour to manage COVID-19 since the beginning of pandemic. Given the emergence of mutated variants with variable impact on transmissibility, virulence and effectiveness of vaccines, likelihood of resurgence of COVID-19 trajectory in the country is monitored by various expert committees under Indian Council of Medical Research, Directorate General of Health Services and other relevant Ministries/Departments, he said. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare continues to keep a close watch over COVID-19 situation across the country and globally, the minister said. The Ministry of Health vide letter dated June 28, 2021 has circulated to all states and Union Territories guiding principles for imposition of restrictions or allowing relaxation in context of coronavirus based on COVID-19 testing confirmation rates and hospital bed occupancy rates. This has been reiterated by Ministry of Home Affairs under Disaster Management Act, 2005 vide order dated June 29, 2021, Mandaviya said. PTI PLB TDS TDS

Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 pc seen in individuals fully inoculated against Covid: Mandaviya

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) A total of four people have died following immunisation against coronavirus till now, but the death of three of them have been found to be not related to the vaccination, while the post-mortem report of the fourth person is awaited, the government said on Wednesday. Four persons have died till now - one in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district, and two in Karnataka's Bellary and Shivamogga districts and one in Telangana's Nirmal district. According to the post-mortem reports, the man in UP died due to cardio-pulmonary disease, while both the beneficiaries in Karnataka died due to myocardial infraction. Post-mortem of the Telangana resident is going on. The country has vaccinated 7,86,842 healthcare workers since the commencement of the nation-wide vaccination drive on January 16. "No case of severe or serious adverse event following immunization attributable to Covid-19 vaccination," Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, Manohar Agnani, said. On Wednesday, 1,12,007 people were vaccinated across 20 states. Karnataka vaccinated 36,211 people, highest amongst all the states, followed by 22,548 in Andhra Pradesh and 16,261 in Maharashtra. Besides this, Agnani said that a new feature of 'Allot beneficiary' in 'Ongoing session' has been added to the CoWin application to allow maximum possible number of beneficiaries per session and have better coverage. The enhancement has also been done so that pre-registered beneficiary in the database can be added to the session as additional beneficiary over and above the scheduled number of beneficiaries. Thirdly, the new feature will ensure that the person's name can be searched in the database by mobile number. Notably, provisional certificate will now be given after first dose and final certificate after second dose to every beneficiary. --IANS aka/vd

Beneficiary dies after taking vaccine in K'taka, report awaited

The <keyword id="10989412" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="double-mutant">double mutant</keyword> Covid variant -- identified as B1617 -- that was first detected in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, has spread to 'at least <keyword id="3449294" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="17-countries">17 countries</keyword>', the <keyword id="43588" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Health-Organization">World Health Organization</keyword> (WHO) has said. Up till April 27, B1617 variant had been detected in over 1,200 sequences uploaded on the open-access database GISAID (the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data) "from at least 17 countries", the global health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic. Most sequences were uploaded from India, the UK, US and Singapore, it said on Tuesday. GISAID -- a German non-profit organisation -- was launched in 2016 as a database for sharing flu genomes. Globally, <keyword id="8956138" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-covid-19-cases">new Covid-19 cases</keyword> increased for the ninth consecutive week, with nearly 5.7 million new cases reported in the last week -- surpassing previous peaks, the WHO update said. India accounts for "38 per cent of global cases reported in the past week," the report noted. The B1617 variant has been deemed a 'variant of interest' instead of a 'variant of concern' by the WHO. However, the WHO has classified the British, South African and Brazilian variants of Covid-19 as "variants of concern." The B1617 variant was first detected in India on December 1, 2020. It contains mutations from two separate virus variants -- E484Q and L452R. The variant is partly held responsible for the second and massive resurgence of coronavirus in the country. More than 3 lakh corona cases have been reported in India for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday. India reported a record number of 3,60,960 cases and 3,293 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry's data released on Wednesday morning. "Preliminary modelling by WHO based on sequences submitted to GISAID suggest that B1617 has a higher growth rate than other circulating variants in India, suggesting potential increased transmissibility, with other co-circulating variants also demonstrating increased transmissibility," the WHO update said. "Other drivers may include challenges around the implementation and adherence to public health and social measures and social gatherings (including mass gatherings during cultural and religious celebrations, and elections)," it added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/info-edge-shares-jump-by-2-5-as-markets-cheer-its-move-to-sell-750-crore-worth-shares-in-the-upcoming-zomato-ipo/articleshow/82285596.cms">Info Edge shares jump by 2.5% as markets cheer its move to sell ₹750 crore worth shares in the upcoming Zomato IPO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-phase-3-registration-on-cowin-and-aarogya-setu-not-working-for-18-on-28-april-morning/articleshow/82284828.cms">COVID-19 vaccine phase 3: Anxious Indians are complaining of CoWIN and Aarogya Setu registration being delayed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zomato-ipo-the-food-delivery-unicorn-has-filed-drhp-for-a-1-1-billion-initial-public-offering/articleshow/82286611.cms">Zomato reveals its much-awaited IPO plan and it’s worth $1.1 billion</a>

India's double mutant COVID-19 variant has spread in 'at least 17 countries', says WHO

<ul><li><keyword id="2201" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kangana-Ranaut">Kangana Ranaut</keyword>’s Twitter account, KanganaTeam, has permanently been suspended.</li><li>The move came after the Bollywood actress rolled out tweets addressing the alleged violence in West Bengal, one which involved Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</li><li>Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been cracking down on posts critical of the government and Modi ever since netizens have become more critical of India’s handling of the second COVID-19 wave.</li></ul> Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter account has been suspended — permanently this time — after she made a series of comments about the alleged violence that occurred in West Bengal. One of her tweets was calling for President’s Rule to be implemented in the state after the Mamata Banerjee-led <keyword id="43826" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Trinamool-Congress">Trinamool Congress</keyword> (TMC) won the state elections over the weekend. <div type="image" title="kangana tweet" msid="82385824" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Kangana Ranaut&amp;#39;s tweet on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with respect to the West Bengal elections&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But the tweet that seems to have kicked Twitter’s regulations in action is one where Ranaut urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "tame" Banerjee using his "Virat Roop" from "early 2000s" in Bengal. "We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behaviour that has the potential to lead to offline harm. The referenced account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of Twitter Rules specifically our Hateful Conduct policy and Abusive Behaviour policy. We enforce the Twitter Rules judiciously and impartially for everyone on our service," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement. <div type="twitter" handle="AnkitLal" handlename="Ankit Lal 🏹" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1383162756770058241/v33oT2zt_normal.jpg" favoritecount="237" retweetcount="50" status="I don't think @KanganaTeam will remain suspended forever. Most likely she will be asked to delete the tweet and l… https://t.co/GdNIzPYZub" createdat="1620112444000" id="1389478418224345091"></div> Many believe it is a veiled reference to the Gujarat riots of 2002, at a time when the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the state's chief minister, in which at least 1,000 Muslims were killed, according to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm">official estimates</a>. Other sources <a href="http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/4127/1/hpsacp17.pdf">estimate</a> the death toll to be in excess of 2,000. While Modi has been acquitted of the charges against him in the case, the memory of 2002 Gujarat riots is still an issue raised by his detractors. The reference — even if it was a veiled one — to the riots coming from Ranaut, who is a known supporter of Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was ironic, to say the least. <div type="image" title="Screenshot (872)_edited" msid="82385896" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Rahul Puri is the managing director of Mukta Arts and the head of Academics at Whistling Woods International&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <div type="image" title="Screenshot (874)_edited" msid="82385917" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Founder of Policy Brief Case&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Not Kangana Ranaut’s first time getting banned from Twitter" comment="subhead" text="Not Kangana Ranaut’s first time getting banned from Twitter">Not Kangana Ranaut’s first time getting banned from Twitter</cmsannotation> The actress was also penalised by the Jack Dorsey-led social media platform earlier this year after Ranaut made a hateful comment against the Amazon Prime Video series Tandav. The tweet said it was “time to take [the makers’] heads off” because the show allegedly hurt religious sentiments. <div type="image" title="kangana tandav_edited" msid="82386020" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Kangana Ranaut&amp;#39;s tweet about Amazon Prime Video webseries Tandav&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The Indian right is uncomfortable with Twitter and Facebook" comment="subhead" text="The Indian right is uncomfortable with Twitter and Facebook">The Indian right is uncomfortable with Twitter and Facebook</cmsannotation> The current dispensation in India has been uncomfortable with the alleged liberal bias of the social media giants like Twitter. “Twitter is no longer pretending to be a neutral platform… So, there is clearly a need [sic] for regulating them. However, every curb brings its own wrinkles. Our own first amendment is a good example,” said <a href="https://twitter.com/sanjeevsanyal/status/1266283515978510343">Sanjeev Sanyal</a>, India’s Principal Economic Advisor, in reaction to Twitter’s punitive actions against certain White supremacists’ accounts in the US after the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The banning of Ranaut one more time may further fuel this mistrust on Twitter. However, it is important to remember that Twitter has also been forced to take down tweets and block accounts that have been critical of the current administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Facebook was seen <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/facebook-blocks-posts-tagged-resignmodi-ahead-of-polling-in-the-last-phase-of-west-bengal-assembly-elections-calls-it-a-mistake/articleshow/82307728.cms">blocking posts with the #ResignModi hashtag</a>. “We temporarily blocked this hashtag by mistake, not because the Indian government asked us to, and have since restored it,” a Facebook company spokesperson said after the fact. Twitter was also seen taking down or restricting access to over 50 tweets flagged off by the government through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), according to disclosures made on the <a href="https://www.lumendatabase.org/">Lumen Database</a>. This move from Twitter has come a day before the decision of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebooks-oversight-board-will-announce-its-decision-on-the-future-of-donald-trumps-banned-account-on-wednesday/articleshow/82376161.cms">Facebook Oversight Committee</a> on whether the blocking of Donald Trump’s page was legally tenable. Twitter has no independent committee like that of Facebook looking into such complaints. Still, the future course of action by any platform, as well as the public discourse on the limits of free speech on social media, may be benchmarked against Facebook’s decision on Trump’s ban tomorrow on May 5. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ipl-2021-suspended-by-bcci-as-several-players-test-covid-positive/articleshow/82384544.cms">IPL suspended as more players contract COVID-19 ⁠— BCCI bites the bullet mid-way through the season</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/govt-slashing-customs-duty-and-cess-on-oxygen-concentrators-remdesivir-injections-and-covid-19-vaccines/articleshow/82372585.cms">To get more oxygen concentrators, Remdesivir injections and COVID-19 vaccines, India temporarily lifts customs duty and cess on imports</a>

Twitter cracks down on Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut — here's why it's significant in the debate over free speech on social media

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday interacted with the Health Ministers, Principal Secretaries, and Additional Chief Secretaries of the states and UTs to review the preparedness for the nationwide mock drill for coronavirus vaccination scheduled for Friday. The second nationwide mock drill on the Covid19 vaccination will be held at three session sites of 736 districts across all 33 states and UTs. Its objective is to simulate the actual vaccine administration event. The entire planning of the vaccination drive including beneficiary registration, microplanning and vaccination at the planned session site, will be tested under the leadership of District Collector/District Magistrate. The dry run will also familiarise the state, district, block and hospital level officers on all aspects of the vaccine roll out. This activity will help administrators in strengthening the linkages between planning, implementation and reporting mechanisms, identification of any residual challenges prior to the actual implementation and to provide confidence to the programme managers at all levels to carry out a smooth implementation of the vaccination drive. Seeking their personal indulgence, leadership and keen oversight for the national dry run, Dr Harsh Vardhan requested the Health Ministers to be vigilant against rumours and disinformation campaigns regarding the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine. Rubbishing the rumours being propagated on social media which are raising doubts in the mind of the public regarding the vaccine side effects, he said: "These miscreants might derail the whole exercise, set the clock back by years." He urged the state health authorities to work with the multiple stakeholders and the youth to spread the right information and dispel rumours and mistruths being spread about the Covid-19 vaccine. Harsh Vardhan started by reminding everyone that the country has completed a year of successfully battling the pandemic with the first meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) of MoHFW on Covid being held on January 8. He appreciated the tireless efforts being made by the multiple stakeholders, including the Central and state government officials and the medical community who have worked proactively in the last few months to compose and disseminate detailed guidelines on the upcoming vaccination drive, train the vaccine administrators. He also expressed gratitude to the scientific community who have worked tirelessly to bring the country two vaccines which have recently received the Emergency Use Authorisation few days back. The Health Minister highlighted the unique digital platform, Co-WIN, repurposed from the e-VIN platform that will provide real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualized tracking of beneficiaries of the Covid-19 vaccine. This platform will assist the programme managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule. More than 78 lakh beneficiaries have been already registered on the platform, he stated. The Minister reassured all his State counterparts that the country's cold chain infrastructure has been sufficiently upgraded to ensure last mile delivery and that adequate supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been provided for. "India has unparalleled experience in dealing with immunisation and runs one of the largest universal immunisation programmes in the world which has been applauded by the world for its robustness." He referred to India's several successful immunisation drives with respect to polio, rubella and measles and also narrated his personal experience from the early nineties of having galvanised efforts of millions of Indians which eventually led to the eradication of polio from the country. "The rich experience of the country from the UIP and the anti-polio campaign are being used to strengthen the processes of Covid-19 vaccination," he said. Following this, he reminded his state counterparts to also ensure that the National Immunisation Day (NID) scheduled on January 17 is also given due importance. He also requested the state and UT Health ministers to ensure that non-Covid essential services are not adversely impacted. "It is with the collaborative efforts of the states and UTs and multiple partners that India and 11 other countries of the South East Asia region of WHO have been declared polio free. It should be our endeavour to sustain India's polio-free status," he said. Drawing attention to some neighbours still having cases of wild polio, he said that it is important that the NIDs are effectively rolled out. Harsh Vardhan stated that to strengthen the capacity of human resource for Covid-19 vaccine introduction and roll-out, detailed training modules have been developed for different categories of vaccine handlers and administrators including medical officers, vaccinators, alternate vaccinators, cold chain handlers, supervisors, data managers, ASHA coordinators and all others involved in the implementation process at different levels. He said the entire operational planning and IT platform has been field tested on several occasions before the second national dry run of Friday. The earlier national mock drill of January 2 helped to iron out any glitches in the final execution and further refinement of the operational procedures. The feedback from most of the States and UTs was satisfactory conduct of the dry run. The State and UT ministers shared their feedback and experience from the past dry run exercises and the preparedness for Friday's exercise. They informed about the training sessions held for vaccinators, updation of the database of beneficiaries, cold chain management, session allocation, reporting of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) etc. The Union Minister was also apprised that the meeting on the state level, district level and block level are being conducted regularly. Effective communication is being carried out in the States to disseminate the correct information about vaccines. --IANS aka/vd

You Searched For "cowin database" and got 9 results

Cyber security group’s AI analysis supports theory that CoWIN data leak not new

Sourabh Jain

Indian government claims vaccinated citizens' personal data 'safe and secure'; cybersecurity experts call 'data leak' a Bitcoin scam

Sudhanshu Singh

India’s Digital Health Mission aims to track and store your health data using UPI-like apps

Shadab Rabbani

Data privacy: Three in four Indians hold public sector offices responsible for breach

Anagh Pal

Vaccine effectiveness of 99.3 pc seen in individuals fully inoculated against Covid: Mandaviya

PTI

Beneficiary dies after taking vaccine in K'taka, report awaited

IANS

India's double mutant COVID-19 variant has spread in 'at least 17 countries', says WHO

IANS

Twitter cracks down on Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut — here's why it's significant in the debate over free speech on social media

Prabhjote Gill

Harsh Vardhan reviews preparedness for vaccine dry run on Friday

IANS