The Madras High Court Today (Oct 25) directed social media platform Telegram to immediately block and delete any posts or “chatbots” flagged by insurance company Star Health Insurance for leaking its customer data that was hacked recently. The Court was hearing a petition filed by Star Health against Telegram and five others after it discovered that a hacker was using Telegram to leak sensitive company and customer data.
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Chennai: To protect customer privacy, the Madras High Court directed Telegram to promptly block and delete any “chatbots” or posts flagged by Star Health Insurance that are allegedly leaking hacked customer data. This directive came after Star Health Insurance reported unauthorized data leaks on the platform, affecting sensitive company and customer information.
In its interim order, Justice K Kumaresh Babu instructed Star Health Insurance to
“Send an email with the username and the URL from which such bots are posted so Telegram can block and delete them.”
This approach allows the insurer to report specific bots and URLs for immediate action, reducing the potential spread of leaked information.
The order follows a petition filed by Star Health against Telegram and five other parties, after discovering that the data leak was being facilitated through Telegram channels.
Senior Counsel S Ramasubramanium, representing Star Health, argued before the Court that the misuse of the data was not only harmful but was also conducted under the guise of ethical hacking, enabling unauthorized access to private information.
Ramasubramanium emphasized the need for an injunction, noting that,
“By now it is open knowledge that star has been hacked so they are allowing for hacked information to be posted. They keep posting these pods. By the time we flag it and it’s taken down, the damage is done. So, I request for an injunction.”
Telegram’s counsel, however, clarified the platform’s limitations in preemptively monitoring or removing bots that might share Star Health’s data, explaining that it is only able to remove content when it is specifically flagged as violating policies.
The counsel stated,
“I (Telegram) don’t have the power to patrol or police all bots and take them down. I can only block or, take down a channel if a particular violation is flagged. If I keep looking through all posts to search for Star health and take it off, I will be in violation of the IT Act.”
In response, the Court questioned whether Telegram could trace the source of such posts, highlighting the challenge of identifying and blocking bots when posts can be made anonymously or with the use of VPNs from different countries.
Telegram responded that tracing posts is feasible only if there is a specific court order mandating the platform to do so.
The Court noted the limitations posed by the anonymity and global reach of social media platforms, observing,
“The problem is, in these social media platforms anyone from anyone can post. They often use VPN from other countries. Anyway, the damage will be done because they can’t block unless it is posted.”
To address these concerns, the Court directed Telegram to immediately act upon any emails from Star Health Insurance detailing specific bots or URLs in violation, thereby ensuring swift removal of such content.
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