TMS Ep556: Data security, IT attrition, Zerodha MF, Aadhaar biometrics

There are chances that your Aadhaar and passport details are up for sale on Dark Web. A report by US-based cybersecurity firm Resecurity has claimed that the personal data of 815 million Indians has surfaced on the Dark Web. And a hacker is willing to sell the entire lot for $80,000. If established, it could well be the biggest data breach that the country has seen. In today’s first segment, Thareek Ahmed tries to find where the buck stops? Who protects our data? And what is the government doing to save it from falling into the wrong hands?  

Clearly, the government has a tough task at hand. But given its vibrant IT industry, it can put a formidable infrastructure in place to save personal data of its people. Moving on, the country’s IT sector is passing through a challenging phase. Hit by a slowdown in global demand, it is also facing some domestic challenges. Several IT firms have seen exits at the top level. In our next segment, Find out why are IT companies bleeding talent at the top.

Let us turn our gaze to financial markets now. Discount broker Zerodha has forayed into the asset management business with its two new fund offers -- Zerodha Nifty LargeMidCap index Fund and Zerodha ELSS Tax Saver Fund. This comes at a time when names like JioBlackrock and Helios MF, too, are vying for a share in the mutual fund pie. So, should investors opt for Zerodha’s offerings? 

In August last year, several demat accounts of Zerodha were hacked, which prompted its CEO Nithin Kamath to announce a new safety tool. Talking of data breach -- which we thoroughly addressed in our first segment -- people often wonder what they can do to protect their personal information, especially that of Aadhaar? Well, UIDAI allows users to lock their Aadhaar biometric details. Listen to this episode of the podcast for answers.