On Friday, the messaging platform Telegram informed an Indian court that it is unable to monitor all accounts on its service to detect leaked customer data from Star Health, one of India’s largest health insurance companies. Telegram stated it will only address content that is flagged to them.
The controversy erupted after a Reuters report on September 20 revealed that a hacker was using Telegram chatbots and a dedicated website to leak sensitive customer information, including biometric identification and medical claim documents.
In response to the leak, Star Health petitioned the Madras High Court last month, requesting the court to mandate Telegram to remove all bots associated with the data breach.
During the court hearing, a representative from Telegram argued that monitoring all chatbots on their platform to search for leaked data would contravene Indian laws.
Nonetheless, Telegram expressed willingness to delete the compromised data if Star Health provides assistance, noting that the company had received a ransom demand of $68,000 from the hacker to cease the disclosures.
Since the publication of the news, Star Health’s shares have plummeted nearly 11%, with a slight decrease of just over 1% observed on Friday.
Global scrutiny of Telegram has intensified, particularly since the formal investigation of founder Pavel Durov in France on August 28, following allegations regarding the app’s use for unlawful activities.
Both Durov and Telegram have refuted any suggestions of wrongdoing, emphasizing their commitment to addressing the rising criticism.
Judge Kumaresh Babu of the Madras High Court instructed Star Health to provide Telegram with details about the problematic chatbots and ordered the platform to block them immediately.
Neither Telegram nor Star Health has offered comments regarding the court hearing.
Additionally, Star Health is probing allegations concerning its chief security officer’s involvement in the data leak. The insurer has confirmed that the officer is cooperating with the investigation, which has not yet uncovered any evidence against him.
The executive has not publicly addressed the allegations.
The case is scheduled to continue in two weeks.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
