I4C warns citizens after Indore student harasses teacher by sharing private details online
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has issued a critical alert regarding “doxxing scams,” where personal information is shared online without consent. This follows an Indore incident where a student publicly disclosed their teacher’s personal details including name, address, and phone number on public platforms, inciting online and offline harassment.
Applicable Legal Provisions
According to Supreme Court advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, doxxing constitutes a criminal offense under Indian law. Two primary provisions apply: Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (privacy violation) and Section 72 (misuse of confidential information). When doxxing involves defamation, threats, or harassment, additional sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) become applicable, including criminal intimidation and defamation charges.Convicted offenders face imprisonment up to three years, substantial fines, or both, depending on severity.
Risks and Preventive Measures
Personal information leaks expose victims to identity theft, financial fraud, mental trauma, trolling, blackmail, and social defamation. Experts recommend eight essential precautions: maintaining strong passwords, never sharing OTPs, enabling two-factor authentication, avoiding public Wi-Fi for banking, ignoring suspicious links, keeping devices updated, reviewing social media privacy settings, and blocking suspicious communications.
Nine categories of information should never be shared online: Aadhaar numbers, PAN cards, bank details, passwords, OTPs, personal addresses, travel plans, children’s information, and salary details.
Immediate Action Protocol
If personal data is compromised, victims should immediately capture screenshots as evidence, report to platform administrators, change all passwords, enable two-factor authentication, notify family members, and file complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in).
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