NEW DELHI: Are you receiving messages or calls from hospitals or labs to get yourself tested if you are unwell, as COVID-19 cases are increasing in the country? If yes, you are among the hundreds of people in the country who are inundated with unsolicited spam messages. A latest nationwide survey has said that ever since COVID-19 cases have been increasing in India, nearly one in five people are receiving promotional communication from hospitals and labs where they took the COVID-19 vaccines or tests during the earlier surges.In fact, under the recently released Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, even if a customer has shared their contact details, the retailer, the diagnostic clinic or any other entity must keep them secure. They cannot use it for making spam calls or sending promotion messages unless explicit permission has been granted.However, the LocalCircles survey found that in many cases, a person who once used the services of a diagnostic clinic or hospital is inundated with spam messages and calls.The survey, conducted among 18,000 people in 301 districts, found that 18% of people claimed that they are receiving promotional communication from third parties/labs/hospitals where they got COVID-19 tests done during the earlier COVID-19 surges in the country.Also, as many as 17% indicated that they are receiving promotional communication from the hospitals and labs where they received the COVID-19 vaccine and from third parties.According to Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles, they conducted the survey after receiving hundreds of messages from people complaining that they were getting unsolicited calls and messages from labs and hospitals they had visited earlier.So they asked the surveyors whether they had observed that data shared by them with private entities for getting a COVID test done between 2021 and 2023 is now being used to sell other health-related products and services to them. As many as 18% accepted that they get such pesky calls and messages.
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