Star Health takes legal action over Telegram data leak

Telegram and Cloudflare face legal action as Star Health fights to protect leaked medical data.

A court has upheld California’s ban on addictive feeds for minors, enforcing new rules for tech companies.

One of India’s top insurers, Star Health, has taken legal action against Telegram and a hacker following the leak of personal data. The data breach involved medical reports and policyholder information being shared through chatbots on Telegram.

The case comes as Telegram faces global criticism for being exploited for illegal activities. Founder Pavel Durov, who was recently arrested, denies the allegations and insists the platform is addressing these issues. The insurer also sued Cloudflare for hosting websites distributing stolen data.

A Tamil Nadu court granted a temporary injunction to block the chatbots and websites sharing this information. Star Health reassured customers, stating that sensitive data remains secure, though policy and claim documents were leaked.

The lawsuit is part of a larger trend of hackers using chatbots to sell stolen data, with India representing the largest portion of global victims. Telegram removed the offending chatbots, but new ones quickly appeared.