MeitY Orders VPNs to Block Sites Leaking Indian Data

• MeitY ordered VPNs and online intermediaries to block websites leaking Indian citizens' personal data to safeguard digital privacy and combat identity theft.
• Specific sites like proxyearth.org and leakdata.org were flagged for exposing sensitive details (names, mobile numbers, addresses, emails) accessible via Indian mobile numbers.
• The directive targets VPNs as they allow access to sites blocked by ISPs, emphasizing intermediaries' due diligence under IT Act, 2000, and IT Rules, 2021.
• Non-compliance risks loss of safe-harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act and potential legal action under the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
• This advisory follows CERT-In's 2022 mandate for VPNs to store customer logs, which previously led some major VPN providers to remove servers from India.

Why It Matters: New rules make VPNs block data-leaking sites, boosting digital privacy for Indian citizens.