nEW dELHI, Dec. 13 -- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an advisory directing virtual private network (VPN) service providers and other intermediaries to immediately block access to websites leaking personal information of Indian citizens. The advisory, dated December 11 and first posted by a MeitY official on LinkedIn, flags sites such as proxyearth.org and leakdata.org for allegedly exposing names, mobile numbers, addresses and other details without consent. It said the websites are also allowing users to "enter any Indian mobile number. to access information, including full name, address, alternate numbers, and email IDs." A senior MeitY official confirmed the advisory's authenticity to HT. In its advisory, the government warns that such websites, "pose a significant risk to Indian users. as the website permits public access to personal information of users without their authorisation." The ministry adds that these sites may still be reachable through VPN, making VPN providers' action essential. The advisory reminds intermediaries of their obligations under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, including the requirement to take "immediate and effective action" to ensure that unlawful or privacy-violating content is not hosted or shared on their platforms. Failure to comply could cost companies their safe-harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act, and violations may attract action under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Citing the "serious nature of the situation," MeitY has "reiterated, with heightened emphasis," that VPN services and intermediaries must "make reasonable efforts to not permit the access" of such websites....