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<ul><li>Personal data of thousands of Indians has reportedly been leaked from the CoWIN portal.</li><li>According to a report, details such as name, ID proof, gender and more have been leaked.</li><li>The data has been spotted on <keyword id="1275203" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="telegram" source="Orion">Telegram</keyword> and a bot sends the data when you send the user’s phone number.</li></ul>In what could be a major data breach, personal information of people who received the Covid-19 vaccine has reportedly been leaked online. This data includes the user’s name, date of birth, gender, and their ID. According to a report by Malayala Manorama, the data has been leaked through the CoWIN portal that was designed to help citizens book their vaccine slots. As per the report, all you need to do is enter the phone number of a person who has received the Covid-19 vaccine on a Telegram bot and it will fetch important details about the user. This, as per the report, has put important data such as Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID and passport of thousands of users at risk. The government has not revealed anything about the leak yet. <div type="twitter" handle="SaketGokhale" handlename="SaketGokhale" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1668104757704269824"></div> Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale has <a href="https://twitter.com/SaketGokhale/status/1668104757704269824">shared</a> screenshots of the Telegram bot, with vaccination information of people like P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Derek O Brien. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Not the first Covid-19 related data leak" comment="subhead" text="Not the first Covid-19 related data leak">Not the first Covid-19 related data leak</cmsannotation> This is not the first time that CoWIN data has come under the scanner. In 2022, data of over 20,000 people, including their name, mobile number, Covid-19 test result and their address was<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/data-meant-for-cowin-portal-leaked-online-over-20-000-indians-likely-affected-101642767559692.html"> reportedly</a> leaked. This data was meant to be uploaded on the CoWIN platform. In another instance, data of over 15 crore citizens was<a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/cowin-apps-covid-19-vaccination-data-of-15-crore-users-leaked-and-up-for-sale-government-denies-breach/769434"> reportedly</a> leaked in 2021 and the hackers put the data on sale. The government however refuted the claim and said that the CoWIN platform was never hacked. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/vision-pro-to-ios-17-apples-top-six-announcements-at-wwdc-2023/articleshow/100786632.cms">Vision Pro to iOS 17: Apple’s top six announcements at WWDC 2023</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/2000-note-withdrawal-how-to-exchange-notes-is-it-a-legal-tender-and-other-questions-answered/articleshow/100412941.cms">₹2,000 note withdrawal – How to exchange them, is it a legal tender and other questions answered</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-app-store-prevented-over-2-billion-in-fraudulent-transactions-last-year-banned-282-million-user-accounts/articleshow/100322718.cms">Apple App Store prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions last year, banned 282 million user accounts</a>

Covid-19 vaccination data reportedly leaked – ID proof, date of birth and other details available on Telegram

<keyword id="15862275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Biotechs-intranasal-Covid-vaccine" source="Orion">Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine</keyword> has been approved by the Union Health Ministry for inclusion in the vaccination programme as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age, official sources said on Thursday. The needle-free vaccine will be available at private centres. It will be introduced on the Co-WIN platform on Friday evening, they said. The <keyword id="383216" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasal-vaccine" source="Orion">nasal vaccine</keyword> -- BBV154 -- received approval of the Drugs Controller General of India in November for restricted use in an emergency situation for those above 18 as a heterologous booster dose. The approval for the vaccine comes amid a spurt in <keyword id="8764262" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">Covid</keyword> cases in China and some other countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday cautioned people against complacency and urged them to wear masks in crowded places, while also directing officials to strengthen surveillance measures, especially at international airports. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/police-officers-were-seen-guarding-a-crematorium-in-beijing-amid-reports-of-overflowing-funeral-homes-due-to-a-resurgence-in-covid-infections-bloomberg/articleshow/96369408.cms">Police officers were seen guarding a crematorium in Beijing amid reports of overflowing funeral homes due to a resurgence in COVID infections: Bloomberg</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-to-review-covid-19-situation-at-high-level-meeting-today/articleshow/96417240.cms">PM Modi to review Covid-19 situation at high-level meeting today</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/3-cases-of-omicron-subvariant-bf-7-driving-chinas-covid-surge-detected-in-india/articleshow/96397261.cms">3 cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, driving China's Covid surge, detected in India</a>

Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine approved by govt, to be available on CO-WIN

<ul><li>An SMS worm claiming to help users in India book a slot to get the COVID-19 vaccine is making the rounds.</li><li>The malicious app link being circulated over text messages enables authorised access to private accounts, exposes personal data and has the ability to delete data without the victims knowledge.</li><li>New variants of SMS worms are rare, but this one — and its cousins — all seem to have been created by the same developer, according to an investigation conducted by cyber risk assessment firm Cyble.</li></ul>The official CoWIN mobile app has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">not been doing its job well</a>, which has forced users in India to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">look at alternatives</a> to check for available vaccination slots or even simply register for the vaccine. While there are many solutions helping genuinely, there are others who may not necessarily be looking out for the ‘greater good’ — like a new SMS worm promising to book a vaccination slot for you, but infecting your device with malware instead. So far, the penetration seems to be limited to Android users. <div type="image" title="cowin app fake_edited" msid="82389061" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Android SMS worm tries to spread via text messages as fake, free registration for Covid-19 vaccine &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The SMS worm is capable of enabling unauthorised access to private accounts, using the device for activities unaware to the user of the smartphone, exposing personal data and deleting data without the user’s knowledge. This means accessing Twitter and Facebook accounts, peeping into your photo gallery and contact list, deleting documents you may have wanted to keep around for a little bit longer and eating up your data — which can be particularly painful if you have limited data per day. The issue was initially brought to light by Malware researcher <a href="https://twitter.com/LukasStefanko/status/1387733166195150849">Lukas Stefano</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/malwrhunterteam/status/1387706612270440450">Malware Hunter Team</a>. It was then also confirmed by Australian cyber risk assessment firm <a href="https://twitter.com/AuCyble/status/1389135487340883970">Cyble</a>. “Our investigation indicated that this malware campaign is currently targeting India as the country struggles with the ongoing onslaught of the pandemic,” said Cyble in its report. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal" comment="subhead" text="A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal">A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal</cmsannotation> Cyble tried to track down the source of the fake app and found numerous abandoned repositories on Twitter. They list other apps that are similar but with different names. The end goal is the same for all of them — get the same permissions and enter from the same point. <div type="image" title="covid app fake 3_edited" msid="82389133" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Fake COVID-19 app asking for permission to access contacts&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to the investigators, it is likely that the same developer is behind all of these apps. “New variants of SMS worms for Android do not appear very often, and this particular variant is an interesting piece of malware and part of a unique attack,” said Cyble in its report. In addition to tricking people into installing the SMS worm and accessing sensitive information, there is also a direct monetary cost of this whole exercise on the victim. Since the worm is automatically sending messages to people on the victim’s contact lists, it could use up their balance depending on their phone plan — without the victim’s knowledge. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?" comment="subhead" text="How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?">How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?</cmsannotation> Users receive an SMS containing a malicious link that leads to a seemingly genuine website. Once an unsuspecting user clicks on the link, the worm’s code is now ready to execute on the device — that is, the smartphone has now been infected. <div type="image" title="covid app fake 2_edited" msid="82389102" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;SMS worm with malicious link &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Moreover, the malware sends a copy of itself to everyone on that person’s contact list. Some of the suspicious activities spotted include checking for devices that are connected to the phone through Bluetooth, sending text messages using SMS Manager, checking the status of the user’s SIM card and sending out queries around phone contact information. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/kangana-ranauts-twitter-account-has-been-suspended-for-violating-rules/articleshow/82384318.cms">Twitter cracks down on Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut — here's why it's significant in the debate over free speech on social media</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/govt-slashing-customs-duty-and-cess-on-oxygen-concentrators-remdesivir-injections-and-covid-19-vaccines/articleshow/82372585.cms">To get more oxygen concentrators, Remdesivir injections and COVID-19 vaccines, India temporarily lifts customs duty and cess on imports</a>

A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration

<ul><li>The CoWIN, UMANG and Aarogya Setu mobile apps have crashed as India opens up the vaccine registrations for everyone above the age of 18.</li><li>The <keyword id="10849396" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin-website">CoWIN website</keyword> is still sending out OTPs.</li><li>Even if you manage to register on the CoWIN website, finding a slot may prove to be difficult.</li></ul>If you’re above the age of 18 years and trying to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India today, on April 28, you may be fresh out of luck. The CoWIN mobile app along with alternative methods to register — the UMANG and Aarogya Setu mobile apps — crashed the moment registrations opened up at 4 p.m. The CoWIN website wasn’t sending out one-time-passwords (OTPs) initially either, but was back up in action within minutes. However, that’s about all the good news that there is. In order to get your OTP, you need to go to the main CoWIN portal, click on the registration button, enter your phone number. The OTP that you get on your phone will be valid for three minutes. <div type="image" title="IMG-20210428-WA0010" msid="82291617" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;OTP generated from the CoWIN website&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess if you’ll able to get a slot or even complete your registration. Some users are reporting that they are not available to select photo ID type or gender after putting in the OTP. And, entering the information in these slots is compulsory in order to complete the process. <div type="image" title="cowin" msid="82299370" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BI India was unable to select the drop down menus for &amp;#39;Photo ID Proof&amp;#39; and &amp;#39;Gender&amp;#39;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Even then, registering yourself only gets you in through the door. Finding a slot is a whole other matter. And they seem to be in short supply. While you may see a couple of slots with appointments available, those appointments are only for those individuals between the ages of 45 and above. No appointment slots seem to be available to those between 18 to 44 years old. <div type="image" title="cowin slots" msid="82291747" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Availability of slots after registration is complete&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> People above the age of 18 looking to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India have been trying since midnight. Even though the CoWIN channels on social media did not send out any alerts, there was one sent out over Telegram app that the vaccine registration would not be opening up at midnight, but at four in the afternoon instead. <div type="image" title="Screenshot_20210428-083126_edited" msid="82292135" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Message sent over Telegram specifying that registration will open up at 4:00 pm instead of at midnight&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> There is no clarity around the supply of vaccines and the government has been quiet on how it plans to expand its vaccination drive while also addressing the bottlenecks that may occur.

CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult

<keyword id="10399714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Co-WIN" source="Orion">Co-WIN</keyword> has developed a new <keyword id="89002" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="API" source="Orion">API</keyword> called 'Know Your Customer's/Client's Vaccination Status', or <keyword id="12066828" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kyc-vs" source="Orion">KYC-VS</keyword>, which will enable a verifying entity to know whether a person has been vaccinated against coronavirus or not, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. Over 72 crore vaccine doses have been administered since the vaccination campaign against <keyword id="8763838" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19" source="Orion">COVID-19</keyword> was flagged off on January 16 this year in the country. To provide proof of vaccination for each of these individuals, Co-WIN is already issuing a digitally verifiable certificate. This certificate can be saved on a digital device (smartphone, tablet, laptop etc), or stored in Digi Locker from where it can be digitally shared as and when required as proof of vaccination, the ministry said in a statement. Similarly, at entry points where such certificate is required (e.g., in malls, office complexes, public events etc), it may be shown in both digital and physical forms. However, there may be instances where an entity does not need to see the certificate in full and would just need to know whether an individual has been vaccinated or not, the ministry said. An enterprise/employer may like to know the vaccination status of its employees to resume functions in offices, workplaces etc, it added. The Railways may want to get the status of vaccination of the passengers who are getting their seats reserved in the trains. Airlines may want to get the status of vaccination of the passengers who are booking their flight tickets, and/or airports may only want to allow vaccinated passengers to pass through. Hotels may want to know the vaccination status of the residents at the time they are checking into the hotel, or at the time of making online bookings, it further said. "As the socio-economic activities are being gradually revived while maintaining everyone's safety, there is a need for a way to digitally convey the status of individuals' vaccination to entities with whom they may be engaging with for any or all reasons, as employees, passengers, residents etc. "Therefore, there is a need to enable an Aadhaar like authentication service for the status of vaccination through Co-WIN. To take care of these cases and others that may come up, Co-WIN has developed a new API called 'Know Your Customer's/Client's Vaccination Status' or KYC-VS," the ministry said in the statement. To use this API, an individual needs to enter his/her mobile number and name. Thereafter, they will get an OTP which they have to enter. In return, Co-WIN will send a response to the verifying entity on the individual's status of vaccination, which will be as follows: -- Person is not vaccinated -- Person is partially vaccinated -- Person is fully vaccinated This response will be digitally signed and can be shared instantly with the verifying entity, the ministry said. The KYC-VS is consent-based and privacy preserving, it added. Additionally, in order to facilitate quick integration and faster adoption, the Co-WIN Team has prepared a webpage with the API, which may be embedded in any system. This will allow for a seamless integration with any system in no time, the statement said. Besides the use cases pointed out, this service may be utilised by any service provider, private or public, for whom verifying an individual's vaccination status is critical for facilitating a service requested, it said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoin-is-now-legal-in-ukraine-but-not-like-it-is-in-el-salvador/articleshow/86091955.cms">Bitcoin is one signature away from becoming legal in Ukraine and it's not following in El Salvador's footsteps</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/electric-vehicles-registration-are-more-than-cng-vehicles-in-last-two-months-in-delhi/articleshow/86089688.cms">EV adoption on a rise in Delhi — more registrations than CNG-run vehicles in last two months</a>

CoWIN develops a new API to track vaccination status of individuals

The government has announced a new update that enables an applicant to correct any inadvertent errors in name, year of birth and gender printed on the <keyword id="10440405" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin">CoWIN</keyword> vaccination certificate. <keyword id="66720" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="users">Users</keyword> can make the correction through the CoWIN website. "Now you can make corrections to your name, year of birth and gender on your Cowin vaccination certificates if inadvertent errors have come in," the official handle of the <keyword id="8995296" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="aarogya-setu">Aarogya Setu</keyword> <keyword id="235499" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="APP">app</keyword> tweeted on Wednesday. The CoWIN vaccination certificates are used at the time of travel and helps in the access of several other premises. Earlier, the government had also allowed people who are vaccinated to update their status voluntarily on the Aarogya Setu app through a self-assessment process. Those who have got the single dose of the vaccine will get a single blue border with vaccination status on their home screen along with Aarogya Setu logo with a single tick. A 'Blue Shield' with double tick will appear on the app for those who are fully vaccinated, after 14 days of the second dose. This double tick will appear after verification of vaccination status from the CoWIN portal. Vaccination status can be updated through the mobile number used for CoWIN registration. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-wwdc-2021-ios-15-ipados-15-macos-monterey-and-india-specific-announcements/articleshow/83330047.cms">Apple WWDC 2021: iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey and India-specific announcements</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/heres-why-fuel-prices-in-india-may-not-come-down-in-a-big-way/slidelist/83299743.cms">Here’s why fuel prices in India may not come down in a big way ⁠— at least not this year</a>

CoWIN now lets you correct errors on your vaccination certificate

The <keyword id="10440405" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin">CoWIN</keyword> system is introducing a new feature of four-digit <keyword id="2168384" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="security-code">security code</keyword> from May 8 to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status that would subsequently reduce inconvenience caused to <keyword id="6366773" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizens">citizens</keyword>, the health ministry said. It has been noticed in some instances that citizens who had booked their <keyword id="56064" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="appointment">appointment</keyword> for COVID-19 vaccination through the CoWIN portal but did not actually go for vaccination on the scheduled date have received SMS notification that a vaccine dose has been administered to them, it said. Upon examination, it has been found to occur largely on account of the vaccinator wrongly marking the citizen as vaccinated, an instance of <keyword id="11216951" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-entry-error">data entry error</keyword> by the vaccinator, it stated. "In order to minimize such errors and the subsequent inconvenience caused to the citizens, the CoWIN system is introducing a new feature of four-digit security code in the CoWIN application from May 8. "Now, after verification, if the beneficiary is been found eligible, before administering the vaccine dose, the verifier/vaccinator will ask the beneficiary about his four-digit code and then enter the same in the CoWIN system to correctly record the vaccination status," the ministry said in its statement. This new feature will be applicable only for citizens who have done an online booking for a vaccination slot. The four-digit security code will be printed in the appointment acknowledgement slip and will not be known to the vaccinator. The code will also be present in the confirmation SMS sent to beneficiary after successful booking of an appointment. The appointment acknowledgement slip can also be saved and shown from the mobile. This will ensure that for those citizens who have booked an online appointment, the data entries regarding vaccination status of a citizen are recorded correctly, the ministry said in a statement. This will also reduce the opportunities of impersonation and wrongful use of flexibilities provided in CoWIN for facilitating vaccination coverage. The ministry advised the citizens must carry a digital or physical copy of their appointment slip and the registered mobile phone with appointment confirmation SMS, so that the security code can be furnished for easy completion of vaccination recording process. Citizens must provide the security code to the vaccinator as the digital certificate will be generated only after the vaccination record has been updated with the security code. Citizen should get a confirmation SMS after the process has been successfully completed. The confirmation SMS indicates that the vaccination process has been completed successfully and the digital certificate has been generated. If one does not get the confirmation SMS, one should get in touch with the vaccinator or the vaccination centre in-charge, the ministry said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/telescope-spots-the-chinese-long-march-5b-rocket-currently-in-an-unstable-orbit-around-earth/articleshow/82450870.cms">Telescope spots the Chinese Long March 5B rocket that is currently in an unstable orbit around Earth</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/gautam-adani-net-worth-has-crossed-60-billion-as-per-forbes/articleshow/82454659.cms">Gautam Adani’s net worth has crossed $60 billion – thanks to Adani Ports’ profits</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-is-now-automatically-turning-on-two-factor-authentication-for-some-accounts/articleshow/82452629.cms">Google is now automatically turning on two-factor authentication for some accounts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/good-news-for-tata-steel-jsw-steel-sail-hindalco-and-other-indian-steel-companies/articleshow/82451127.cms">China has broken another emissions record ⁠— and it is good news for some Indian companies</a>

CoWin portal to make 4-digit security code mandatory from May 8

<ul><li>The <keyword id="10440405" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin">CoWIN</keyword> app doesn't let you know when a COVID vaccine slot becomes available, but these Indian coders have found a way out.</li><li>Vaccine appointments, especially for those between the ages of 18 to 45 years, and hard to come by in the face of vaccine shortages.</li><li>Coders in India are stepping up by creating websites and scripts to help send alerts to people about when a vaccination slot becomes available in their area.</li></ul> Not only are COVID-19 vaccines in short supply, but appointment slots for those between the age of 18 to 45 years are also scarce. However, coders in India are coming to the rescue. For instance, the engineering manager at PhonePe, <a href="https://twitter.com/debarko/status/1388549978721636354">Debarko De</a>, has posted a script on code hosting platform GitHub to help people in Bangalore looking for appointment slots. Agra-based software developer Amit Agarwal has created a <a href="https://twitter.com/labnol/status/1388556580325453824">COVID-19 vaccine tracker</a>, built with Google Sheets, so that people can get alerts over email whenever an appointment opens up for a particular age group within a prescribed pincode. Many are questioning whether such an endeavour is legal or not. But many more are questioning why the CoWIN platform — the main portal provided by the government to register for a vaccine, find a slot and get your certificate — doesn’t already have this functionality. <div type="image" title="cowin slots" msid="82383448" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;No slots were available for people between the ages of 18 to 45 years on April 28, when the CoWIN platform opened up registration for that age group&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Ravi Srinivasan, the chief facilitator at the ed-tech platform Code Space, told Business Insider that Agarwal’s script can be used to look for vaccination centres and appointments outside of Bangalore, too, by simply changing the pin code. “The public API just allows you to see what slots are available by district, age etc. But it doesn’t let you register. For getting an appointment, you need the protected API,” he said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform" comment="subhead" text="Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform">Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform</cmsannotation> Another programmer, Berty Thomas, pushed out a full fledged website called <a href="http://www.under45.in">under45.in</a> for those between the age of 18 to 45 years, looking to get their first jab. The site is a little slow to load, but once you’re in, all you have to do is select your state and district to see appointment availability. He also created multiple groups on <a href="https://twitter.com/BertyThomas/status/1388477672901120003">Telegram</a> for those who wish to receive alerts for their respective districts. The list is not exhaustive, but does cover most of the main metropolitan regions across the country. And Thomas isn’t using the government’s API to do it. The API is only powering the alerts, not storing your information. Similar sites like <a href="http://www.getjab.in">getjab.in</a> and <a href="http://www.findslot.in">findslot.in</a> are also doing the same thing. And, the reason they’re being allowed to stick around is because users still have to login into the CoWIN platform to register. That part of the process cannot be done externally. This is important because this is where the government draws the line between what is allowed and what is not allowed to be done with its APIs. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is an API?" comment="subhead" text="What is an API?">What is an API?</cmsannotation> An application programming interface, or API, is basically a bridge between two applications. It’s like the waiter who takes your order, ensures that it gets relayed to the chef, and then brings you your final meal. In the case of looking for CoWIN appointment slots, you’re placing your request on a website, and that website then relays it to the API, like the customer at the restaurant. The API then checks with the CoWIN portal — or the chef — before showing you the availability of slots. The Indian government opened up the CoWIN APIs to allow third party access, on April 28. They can be found on the government’s API Setu website which contains authentication, metadata, beneficiary registration, vaccination appointment and certificate APIs. With these APIs, the third party users can access information like vaccination centres, list of districts, vaccination appointments among others. There are two types of APIs -- public and protected. Using public APIs is not a problem and they’re freely available on the government site. To use the protected APIs, on the other hand, the government needs an organisation to put in for a special approval, which is a whole lot of red tape to cut through. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access" comment="subhead" text="There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access">There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access</cmsannotation> Last month, an organisation called Project Step One created a bot on WhatsApp that would allow people to register for the vaccine. It undercut the requirement of having to log into the official website or use the CoWIN app. But it was shut down by the government for being a ‘<a href="https://twitter.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1381510698727997440">fake</a>’ service. <div type="twitter" handle="Projectstepone" handlename="StepOne" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1255874944098947073/hj_yObMf_normal.jpg" favoritecount="9" retweetcount="3" status="We have paused our #COVID19 vaccination #WhatsApp chatbot after receiving call from @MoHFW_INDIA. The bot was a fre… https://t.co/ViOhPK0bzY" createdat="1618464893000" id="1382568088210599941"></div> The primary concern around the service being offered by Step One, a non-profit organisation, was the potential risk posed by privacy issues. In order to book an appointment, or even register, users have to share data that is personal and highly sensitive in nature. According to Step One, it does not store any of the data. It was only using the government’s open APIs, the bot passed user data to COWIN servers, and none of data was accessed by the organisation. It even offered up the code for its WhatsApp bot for further examination, but to no avail. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-download-release-date-everything-we-know-so-far/articleshow/82383038.cms">PUBG Mobile India to relaunch as Battlegrounds Mobile India – here’s what we know so far</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-healthy-subscriber-growth-and-jios-disappointing-performance-send-the-stock-rallying/articleshow/82380913.cms">Airtel shines as price hikes, healthy subscriber growth and Jio’s disappointing performance send the stock rallying</a>

Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots

The COVID-19 vaccination drive has already started in countries like the US and UK. India recently approved two vaccines for use in the country, and the government has also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-to-conduct-nationwide-covid-19-vaccine-dry-run-on-january-2/articleshow/80044250.cms">conducted</a> a nation-wide dry run. To properly implement the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country, the government has introduced the Co-WIN platform. The government will soon introduce the <keyword id="10402099" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="co-win-app">Co-WIN app</keyword> that will allow users to register for the COVID-19 vaccination. The Co-WIN app will feature five modules - Administrator module, Registration module, Vaccination module, Beneficiary Acknowledgement module, and Report module. What is the status of COVID-19 vaccination in India? The government has approved [link to our copy] Oxford Institute's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccines in the country. The vaccines will first be provided for healthcare workers and frontline workers. After this, the vaccines will be available for citizens who are above 50 years of age and then the remainder of the population. How to download the Co-WIN app? The Co-WIN app is currently not available for download. Once it has been launched, it will be available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine? Once the Co-WIN app is launched, people will be able to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Citizens will be able to use the Registration module of the Co-WIN app to register for the vaccine. The app will offer three registration options – <ul><li>self-registration </li><li>individual registration </li><li>bulk upload </li></ul> The bulk upload will likely be used by surveyors and district administrators for beneficiary registration. What are the documents required for COVID-19 vaccine registration? Users registering for the COVID-19 vaccine will be required to upload a photo ID. The following identity proofs will be accepted in the Co-WIN app: <ul><li>Aadhaar Card </li><li>Driving License </li><li>MNREGA Job Card </li><li>PAN Card </li><li>Passport </li><li>Pension Document </li><li>Voter ID </li><li>Health Insurance Smart Card </li><li>Passbook </li></ul>What will be the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine? Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that the vaccine will be available free of cost for the priority groups in the first phase. Details on vaccination costs for the rest of the population are still being finalised. According to the Serum Institute of India, the vaccine will only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/serums-covishield-vaccine-nears-approval-the-expert-panel-recommends-it-for-emergency-use/articleshow/80061585.cms">cost</a> the government $3 per dose. Pfizer, on the other hand, is selling its vaccine at $37 per dose. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/siis-oxford-astra-zeneca-covid-19-vaccine-to-cost-3-4-to-indian-government-price-likely-to-be-double-in-private-markets/articleshow/80098173.cms">SII's Oxford-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine to cost $3-4 to Indian government, price likely to be double in private markets</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/india-will-soon-begin-worlds-biggest-covid-19-vaccination-programme-pm-modi/articleshow/80094307.cms">India will soon begin world's biggest COVID-19 vaccination programme: PM Modi</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/bharat-biotech-gets-permission-to-manufacture-covid-19-vaccine-covaxin-for-sale/articleshow/80084392.cms">Bharat Biotech gets permission to manufacture covid 19 vaccine 'covaxin' for sale</a>

You Searched For "cowin" and got 9 results

Covid-19 vaccination data reportedly leaked – ID proof, date of birth and other details available on Telegram

Sourabh Jain

Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine approved by govt, to be available on CO-WIN

PTI

A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration

Prabhjote Gill

CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult

Prabhjote Gill

CoWIN develops a new API to track vaccination status of individuals

PTI

CoWIN now lets you correct errors on your vaccination certificate

PTI

CoWin portal to make 4-digit security code mandatory from May 8

PTI

Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots

Prabhjote Gill

Co-WIN app to be used for COVID-19 vaccine — how to register, documents required, and everything you need to know

Rounak Jain

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