Plain-language help for ordinary people. General information, not legal advice. Helplines, portals and screen names were checked against official Government and regulator pages on 1 November 2026. Portals change: if a screen looks different, follow the words on the screen and the official guide linked in each step.
Your society's committee or security agency shared residents' phone numbers, visitor logs or CCTV footage in WhatsApp groups or with outsiders. Data collected to run the society should be used only for that.
Safety first. Threatened or in danger: call 181 (women) or go to the nearest police station. Lost money: call 1930 at once.
Your rights
- Right to ask the committee for answers. As a member you can ask for the decision and the bye-law under which your data was shared.
- Right to complain to the Registrar your society is registered with.
- Right to police help if private images were shared (IT Act section 66E) or you are harassed.
- DPDP rights from 13 May 2027. You can ask what data the company holds and who it shared it with (section 11), ask for correction or erasure (section 12), and complain to the company, then to the Data Protection Board (sections 13 and 27). The company answers for its processors (section 8(1)). A society that decides why and how residents' data is used will be a Data Fiduciary.
How to fight it, step by step
One action per step. Each step says what to write, what to attach, what you get back, and how long to wait before the next step. If the person turns out to be fake, skip to If it is fake.
- Save the evidence before you block or delete anything.
What to write: A short note with the date, time, number used, and exactly what was said or what details they knew.
What to attach: Screenshots of the call log, SMS, WhatsApp chats (with the number visible), and any payment screen.
What you get back: A record that cannot later be denied.
How long to wait: Do this the same day. - Write to the society secretary and committee.
What to write: Letter 2 below.
What to attach: Screenshots of what was shared and where.
What you get back: A signed acknowledgement on your copy.
How long to wait: 30 days, or until the next general body meeting. - Send one written follow up to the committee.
What to write: Your complaint number, the date you complained, and: "I have had no reply (or an incomplete reply). Please reply in writing within 7 days, or I will escalate to the Registrar and the police."
What to attach: Your first complaint and its acknowledgement.
What you get back: Proof that you gave the company a fair chance. Regulators and Commissions ask for this.
How long to wait: 7 days, then go to the next step. - Complain to the Registrar of Co-operative Societies for your area (or the authority your society or association is registered with).
What to write: The breach of bye-laws and the committee's reply.
What to attach: All letters.
What you get back: A complaint reference.
How long to wait: As the Registrar sets. - File a police complaint, or ask for an FIR.
What to write: A signed complaint to the officer in charge of your local police station, or online at cybercrime.gov.in. Say what happened, when, the numbers used, and that private images or personal data were shared without consent (IT Act section 66E).
What to attach: Printouts of your screenshots and a copy on a pen drive. Your ID proof.
What you get back: An FIR copy, or at least a written acknowledgement of your complaint. Online, you get an acknowledgement number.
How long to wait: Do this at once if you feel unsafe. Do not wait for the company. - Get a lawyer if the stakes are high.
What to write: Nothing yet. Take your full file to the lawyer.
What to attach: All of the above.
What you get back: Advice on a legal notice, a claim before your State's IT Adjudicating Officer, or a civil suit for damages.
How long to wait: Before you send any legal notice or file a suit. This page is not legal advice.
What people tried and what worked
- People wrote to the society; a court addressed CCTV without consent in one reported case.
Based on reports on public forums, and the news reports listed below. Paraphrased, with no usernames or personal details. What worked for one person may not work for you; the numbered steps above are the official route.
News reports
- Hyderabad residents using a society app said they felt insecure. (deccanchronicle.com)
- Report on the app addressing a privacy issue. (deccanchronicle.com)
Not legal advice. This page explains the rules in plain words so you can act. Consult a lawyer before you sue anyone or send a legal notice. Laws and portals change; check the linked official source.
Step 1: stay safe and find out who it is
- Find out who shared it, where and when.
- Ask the committee in writing.
If it is genuine: hold the company accountable
Which rules this may break
- Society bye-laws: check what yours say about member records.
- IT Act section 66E: capturing or sharing private images of a person without consent.
- DPDP Act from 13 May 2027: purpose limitation (sections 4 to 6), security (8(5)), and responsibility for the security agency as a processor (8(1)).
What the company must do, and by when
- Answer your written question.
- Stop the sharing and ask recipients to delete it.
- From 13 May 2027: act as a Data Fiduciary, with a grievance route.
Letter 1: ask them to confirm who the caller is
Send it through the official channel. Keep a copy and the acknowledgement.
To: The Grievance Officer, The Managing Committee, [Society name] Subject: Please confirm whether this person works for you Dear Sir or Madam, I am your customer. My flat number: [number]. On [date] at [time] I received a call or message from [phone number]. This is not an official number. The person said they were [name], [role or employee ID], from the society. They knew my [list the details they knew]. Please confirm in writing within 7 days: 1. Whether this person is your employee, agent, security agency, facility manager or partner. 2. If yes, their name, role and the agency they work for. 3. Whether you allow staff or agents to contact customers from personal numbers. 4. If they are not connected with you, please say so, so I can report the number. Name: Registered mobile number: Date:
Letter 2: ask how your data got there
To: The Grievance Officer, The Managing Committee, [Society name] Subject: How did my personal data reach a personal phone? Complaint number [if any] Dear Sir or Madam, On [date] a person connected with you, [name if known], contacted me from a personal number [number] and knew my [details]. [Describe what they did.] Please tell me in writing: 1. What personal data about me this person could see, and through which system or app. 2. Whether you shared my data with any agency, security agency, facility manager, partner or processor, and their names. 3. How my data reached a personal phone or account outside your official systems. 4. What action you have taken against the person or agency, including suspension while you investigate. 5. What you have done to stop this happening again. 6. A copy of the resolution or bye-law under which the data or footage was shared. Sharing residents' personal data or CCTV footage outside the purpose it was collected for may breach the society's own bye-laws. Capturing or sharing private images of a person without consent can be an offence under IT Act section 66E. From 13 May 2027, sections 8 and 11 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 also apply. Please reply within 30 days. If I do not hear from you, I will escalate to the Registrar of Co-operative Societies (or the authority your society is registered with) and the police. Name: Registered mobile number: Date:
Evidence to keep
- Screenshots of what was shared.
- The society's bye-laws.
- The committee's reply.
More in the evidence checklist.
Can you sue? What realistically happens
- Consumer Commission: the most practical route for compensation. Cheap, no lawyer needed, file within 2 years.
- IT Act section 43A (until 13 May 2027): if the company was negligent with sensitive personal data (passwords, bank or card details, health records, biometrics) and that caused wrongful loss or gain, it must pay compensation. Claims up to Rs 5 crore go to your State's IT Secretary acting as Adjudicating Officer (section 46); larger claims go to a court. Appeal within 45 days (section 57). Your phone number and address alone are not sensitive data under the 2011 Rules.
- Civil suit for damages: possible, but slow and costly. Section 61 of the IT Act bars civil courts from matters the Adjudicating Officer can decide.
- Police: only where there is a crime, for example a person who disclosed your information in breach of a contract to cause wrongful loss or gain (IT Act section 72A, up to 3 years), identity theft (66C), cheating by impersonation (66D), stalking or threats.
- Realistic outcome: most people get results from a firm written complaint and the regulator or ombudsman. Courts take years. Consult a lawyer before suing.
From 13 May 2027: the Data Protection Board
From 13 May 2027 the DPDP Act's duties apply. The company is responsible for processing done by it or by anyone processing on its behalf (section 8(1)), may use a processor only under a valid contract (section 8(2)), must protect your data with reasonable security safeguards (section 8(5)), and must tell you and the Board about a breach (section 8(6)). It may use your data only for the lawful purpose you agreed to (sections 4 to 6). Section 44(2) removes IT Act section 43A from that date. Complain to the company first; if it does not resolve it, complain to the Data Protection Board. The Board can impose penalties up to Rs 250 crore, but penalties go to the Government (the Consolidated Fund of India, section 34), not to you. For money, use the ombudsman or the Consumer Commission. Appeals from the Board go to TDSAT within 60 days (section 29).
If it is fake: urgent steps
- If a 'society official' asks for money or OTPs, check with the committee directly.
Step by step guides:
Use your DPDP rights (from 13 May 2027)
Use your DPDP rights (from 13 May 2027)
The rights in sections 11 to 14 of the DPDP Act, and the duties of companies that go with them, start on 13 May 2027 (G.S.R. 843(E)). Until then you can still write to a company and ask. Many will answer. But they are not yet bound by these sections.
Keep this ready before you start:
- The company's published method for rights requests. Rule 14 says companies must show it on their website or app.
- The identifier they ask for, such as your username, customer ID or registered mobile number.
- Find the company's rights or grievance page, or its Data Protection Officer contact.
- Send a written request using the method they publish. Use our request letter template.
- Ask for what you need: a summary of your data and how it is used, and the names of everyone it was shared with (section 11); correction, completion, updating or erasure (section 12); or a fix for a grievance (section 13). You can also nominate someone to act for you after death or incapacity (section 14), and withdraw consent (section 6(4)).
- Save the acknowledgement or ticket number.
- Wait for the time they publish. Rule 14(3) says it cannot be more than 90 days.
- If they refuse or do not answer, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India. You must use the company's grievance route first (section 13(3)).
- The Board works as a digital office. Use the method it publishes on its website and app (rule 19). We will add the link when the Board publishes it.
Checked on 1 November 2026 against: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (MeitY copy of the Gazette), Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (G.S.R. 846(E)), G.S.R. 843(E): start dates for the Act.
Related guides
See also when a platform shares your data with a third party and the escalation ladder.
Official sources
Checked on 1 November 2026. Company pages are labelled as the company's own words.