The Centre on Thursday dismissed rumours floating on the social media that its CoWIN portal, used for registering beneficiaries for Covid-19 vaccination, had been hacked.
In a statement, the health ministry said the portal stores all the data in a safe and secure digital environment. Dr RS Sharma, chairperson of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration, said CoWIN data is not shared with any entity outside of the system.
“There have been some unfounded media reports of the CoWIN platform being hacked,” the statement said. “Prima facie, these reports appear to be fake.”
The government said the matter will be investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. “The data being claimed as having been leaked such as geo-location of beneficiaries, is not even collected at Co-WIN,” the statement added.
To book a vaccination slot, users need to log in to the CoWIN website with their mobile phone number and get a one-time password, before searching for vaccine centres using an area code or district name.
Last month, the Centre had allowed on-site registrations and appointments for Covid-19 vaccination for beneficiaries between the ages of 18 and 44 on the CoWin platform. However, the facility is only available for government vaccination centres.
Also read: Is CoWin data safe? – and other queries answered by the CEO of the agency that runs the vaccine app
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!