Privacy on sale for Rs 4

Vendors at Nehru Place sell CDs with mobile numbers and email address of working professionals at nominal rates

Privacy on sale for Rs 4

Vendors at Nehru Place sell CDs with mobile numbers and email address of working professionals at nominal rates

Ever wondered how the pesky telecaller tracks down your mobile number every time you change it? The answer lies in the bylanes of the Capital's busy electronic market at Nehru Place.

"I can provide any number you want," said Pankaj Sharma, a 20-year-old vendor selling CDs at Nehru Place. But the rates will vary. Telephone numbers of high-profile people and working professionals are expensive and each data will cost Rs 4. Others will come for Rs 3 each."

According to Sharma, these database CDs also have software that can help people to send a bulk message
at one go.

The buyers, say the vendors, are the insurance companies, small business houses looking to expand their database and telemarketing firms. "Most of the CDs are bought by officials of small business houses, telemarketing companies and insurance companies," said a vendor.

Such a CD can sell from anywhere between Rs 250 and Rs 40,000. Details of small enterprises sell for Rs 250 to Rs 500 per CD. But CDs with details of big corporate houses like the Birla and Tata are tagged between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 as these have more than 10,000 numbers with specific details of every employee of the organisation.

However, stricter police patrol has pushed the prices up, complain the vendors. "The prices have gone up these days as it has become harder to collect data. The police are keeping a very strict vigil," said Sharma.

But no one is guaranting authenticity here. "It is possible that 20 per cent of the numbers may be wrong
but 80 per cent are correct as these are smuggled out by people working with authentic websites,"
said Sharma.

This is not all. Information about every telephone user living in Indian metros is also available. "We have all the details of people who are using mobile phones. Be it Mahanagar Telephone Nigam, Airtel, Vodafone, Idea or Reliance, we have the numbers of all their subscribers. But a CD of these numbers is costly as there is a huge demand for it," said Anwar Hussain, another vendor at Nehru Place.

Data deals

A CD with details of small enterprises sells for Rs 250 to Rs 500

CDs with details of big corporate houses like the Birla and Tata are tagged between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000

These CDs have more than 10,000 numbers with specific details of every employee of the organisation

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