“Punjab Govt issues warning against unscrupulous elements involved in illegal collection of personal data.”

Punjab Govt has received reliable inputs indicating that certain private operators are unlawfully collecting personal data of residents, purportedly on behalf of political parties.

Punjab Govt : An official spokesperson stated that under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), gathering or using personal information without consent is a punishable offence. Local police have been instructed to initiate strict legal action against those indulging in such illegal practices.

It has also emerged that some individuals who shared their details later became victims of scams and banking frauds, where their phone numbers and OTPs were misused to withdraw money.

The Government has, therefore, appealed to citizens to refrain from sharing personal information with unauthorized persons or entities. People are urged to stay alert and immediately report any such unlawful activity to the authorities.