In India, private online data is available freely, with disastrous consequences...

The ubiquity of mobile phones over the last two decades in India has been phenomenal. As people in India's most remote village swipe and unlock their smartphone, they enter a world of localized Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter. They buy and sell stuff with a few taps on their phone.

But most fail to realize how their smartphone is opening up their private data to unscrupulous opportunists - both within their close family and friends circle and then the broader scammer group.

This article does an in-depth discussion on how easily scammers can access the most important and private data, like an Aadhar Card (a kind of Social Security ID card) and banking information.