#Datascam: Is your data safe anymore?

by Amani Nilar 24-12-2021 | 8:27 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); In less than 150 hours, the year 2021 will end, and the year 2022 will dawn.

However, this year has been marred with many scandals like the Garlic Scam, Sugar Scam, Coconut Oil Scam, and most importantly the infamous DataScam.

Sensitive and vital data that are paramount to the people were deliberately deleted from the Lanka Government Cloud in July 2021.

How did these events take place?

23rd July 2021

The Lanka Government Cloud is utilized to store sensitive data of the people.

This includes details of National Identity Cards, land deeds, bank account details, maps, file numbers of criminal cases, judicial records, and medicine details.

And for the first time, a complaint was made with the Criminal Investigations Department over the deletion of sensitive data from the Lanka Government Cloud.

3rd October 2021

A team of experts was appointed to commence the process to recover the National Medicines Regulatory Authority's missing data.

6th October 2021

At a time when COVID was spreading across the country, medicinal drug racketeers took advantage of the situation, was what Senior Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris told the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court with regard to the incident.

According to reports, a Software Engineer at Epic Lanka Technologies had deleted data for a period of 7 hours.

The Senior DG said the deletion of data was part of the drug mafia and criminal investigations were necessary against all responsible in order to bring them before the law.

6th October 2021

When the software engineer of Epic Lanka was produced in court, it was revealed that the deletion of sensitive data was not a mistake, but a deliberate act.

13th October 2021

A Five-Member Investigative Team that dug deep into the conduct of the NMRA revealed that such scandals had taken place at NMRA over the years.

If only a single person can access a system with highly sensitive data that are vital for national security, who can assure that our data will be protected in the future as well?