An Indian court in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has ordered insurer Star Health to assist Telegram in identifying data that has been leaked through its messaging platform, facilitating the removal of the relevant chatbots.
The move follows a request from Star Health, the country’s largest insurer with a market capitalization of approximately $4 billion (around Rs. 33,628 crore), which approached the Madras High Court after a September 20 report by Reuters revealed that sensitive customer information, including medical claims and tax records, had been compromised and disseminated via Telegram chatbots.
Justice K Kumaresh Babu of the Madras High Court instructed Star Health to provide necessary information to aid in the identification and removal of these chatbots implicated in the data breach.
Telegram has stated that it cannot independently locate the leaked data but is willing to delete it if provided with the specifics by Star Health.
During a court session on Friday, Telegram’s attorney Thriyambak Kannan reiterated that assistance from Star Health is required to pinpoint which chatbots are involved in leaking the sensitive information.
Previously, Telegram noted that it removed certain chatbots after being alerted by Reuters regarding the data leak.
Star Health is currently facing a ransom demand of $68,000 (approximately Rs. 57 lakh) and has launched an investigation into potential involvement of its chief security officer in the breach. However, the insurer stated that no evidence of misconduct has been uncovered so far; the officer has opted not to comment on the situation.
The leaked data comprises highly confidential personal information, Star Health’s legal representative informed the court.
The case is set to reconvene in two weeks.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
