Cobrapost Stings Paytm: Users Uninstall the App as Video of Senior VP Claiming User Data Leaked to PMO Surfaces Online! Company Rubbishes Claims
Cobrapost conducted a sting, titled 'Operation 136 II', approaching several media outlets and companies using the digital platform with the proposal of "promoting Hindutva".
New Delhi, May 26: Amid the ongoing debate over data privacy in the digital realm, PayTM has been accused of sharing the data of its users with the Prime Minister's Office. The charge has been levelled by Cobrapost, an investigative media outlet, which claims to have conducted a 'sting operation' on Ajay Shekhar Sharma, the senior vice-president of PayTM and brother of the company's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
PayTM, however, has denied the charges levelled against them, claiming the purported sting video is doctored. In a statement issued on Saturday, the e-wallet firm said: "There is absolutely NO TRUTH in the sensational headlines of a video doing rounds on social media. Our users' data is 100% secure and has never been shared with anyone except law enforcement agencies on request. Thank you for your continued support."
Cobrapost conducted a sting, titled 'Operation 136 II', approaching several media outlets and companies using the digital platform with the proposal of "promoting Hindutva".
Here is the video of the purported sting operation on PayTM:
The investigative reporter, Pushp Sharma, who went undercover with the pseudo name of Acharya Atal, met Ajay Shekhar Sharma and posed to be a member of RSS-affiliated NGO Shrimad Bhagwat Gita Prachar Samiti.
During the course of the sting, Ajay purportedly boasts about promoting 'Exam Warriors', the book penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also claims to share proximity with several top BJP and RSS leaders, including Union Minister NS Tomar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
However, at one of their purported conversation, Ajay expressed doubt over the proposal of promoting Bhagwad Gita, saying he has direct links with the RSS.
"I am friends with the editor of the Sangh magazine Panchjanya, Praful Kelkar. If you pick up the magazine, you will see Paytm ads in it. I have advertised there on his directions... I will directly talk to him about your proposal. If it is related to the RSS, then I don’t understand why I am being approached in such a roundabout manner," he had said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 12:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).