Protecting Your Personal Data as a Student Online

Students are frequent targets for data theft precisely because they're actively creating accounts, applying to opportunities, and sharing documents online. A few habits go a long way: - Use a dedicated email for applications. Keep a separate email address for internships, scholarships, and job applications, distinct from your primary personal email. This limits the blast radius if that address ends up on a scraped or leaked list. - Never share OTPs. No legitimate organization, a bank, scholarship portal, or employer, will ever ask you to read out or forward a one-time password. An OTP request during a "verification call" is always a scam. - Check permissions before you upload documents. Before uploading Aadhaar, mark sheets, or ID proofs to any third-party site, confirm the site is legitimate and that the request is genuinely necessary for that specific process. - Use unique passwords per platform. Reusing the same password across your college portal, email, and job-application accounts means one breach compromises everything. A password manager makes this practical. - Review app permissions regularly. Career and internship apps sometimes request more access (contacts, location, storage) than their function requires. Only grant what's genuinely needed. - Be cautious with public Wi-Fi. Avoid submitting sensitive forms (bank details, ID uploads) over unsecured public Wi-Fi networks in cafes, libraries, or transit. If you believe your data was misused, India's Cyber Crime reporting portal (cybercrime.gov.in) is the official channel to file a complaint.