Data Privacy Breach Sparks Political Tensions in Kerala

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the Kerala government of a major data privacy breach involving personal details of government employees, allegedly for election campaigning. He claims the data was accessed via KSMART and SPARK systems without proper authorization, sparking political controversy and legal action against involved officials.

In a significant political development, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has raised allegations against the Kerala government regarding a serious breach of data privacy. Chennithala claims that personal details of government employees were accessed by an official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) for purposes related to upcoming assembly elections.

The controversial data request was reportedly made via a letter from the Officer on Special Duty in the CMO, seeking information from the KSMART and SPARK systems. Chennithala has labeled this as an undemocratic move aimed at facilitating political messaging, demanding legal action against the Chief Minister and his office.

These allegations have come to light amidst a plea in the Kerala High Court challenging similar breaches. Petitioners term the government's messaging campaign an intrusion of privacy, with the court acknowledging the concern while the government promised to halt such messages temporarily.

(With inputs from agencies.)