ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman revealed that the personal data of nearly 300,000 people who applied for Hajj has leaked on the dark web.
According to the details, PTA chief Hafeez ur Rehman disclosed this during a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on IT, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, on Friday.
Moreover, he said that the data breach was first detected in 2022, which included SIM information. He added that there is a need for a comprehensive inquiry to identify the sources of these leaks.
Rehman further said that the PTA had conducted an internal inquiry in 2022, while the Ministry of Interior has now initiated a formal investigation.
During the briefing, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan apprised the committee that data is stolen separately from various institutions, compiled, and subsequently sold, The News reported on Saturday.
The committee’s chairperson shared a personal experience of receiving a fraudulent call regarding a bank transaction and raised concerns about how fraudsters gain access to such sensitive information.
The telecommunication authority’s chairman clarified that during the last two years, no telecom data has appeared on the dark web, but emphasised the urgency of establishing a national-level mechanism for data security.
The Senate committee expressed concern over the delay in introducing legislation to secure personal data. The Ministry of IT announced that a draft bill had been prepared and consultations with stakeholders were underway.
Senator Afnan Ullah cautioned that failure to enact data protection legislation would expose the country to serious consequences.
