eNews
Stop feeding the machine: Why Data Privacy Day 2026 is your wake-up call
MUMBAI: It is January 28, 2026. Today, the world observes Data Privacy Day. But let’s be honest: for the other 364 days of the year, we are usually too busy scrolling to care. We click “Accept All Cookies” to read an article. We trade our email addresses for 10% off a pair of sneakers. We spill our deepest thoughts to AI chatbots without wondering where that data goes.
The result? You are leaving a trail of “digital exhaust” that is being vacuumed up, packaged, and sold to the highest bidder.
Today is the day we hit the brakes. Privacy is no longer a luxury for the paranoid; it is a necessity for the free. Here is why this matters right now, and how you can fix it fast.
The New Threat: It’s not just hackers anymore
In the past, we worried about criminals stealing our credit card numbers. In 2026, the game has changed. The entity hungry for your data isn’t just a hoodie-wearing hacker in a basement—it’s the legitimate apps on your phone and the algorithms training on your behavior.
• The AI Mirror: Every prompt you type into a public AI model can theoretically become part of its brain. Your distinct writing style, your problems, and your ideas are the fuel.
• Biometric Overload: We pay with our faces and unlock doors with our fingerprints. If a password gets stolen, you change it. If your biometric data gets stolen, you can’t change your face.
• The “Free” Trap: If an app is free, you aren’t the customer; you are the product. Your location history, health stats, and spending habits are the inventory.
The 15-minute privacy sprint
You don’t need to go off the grid or move to a cabin in the woods. You just need to tighten the bolts. Here is your rapid-fire action plan for today:
1. Kill the zombies
We all have “zombie accounts”—old logins for fitness apps we used once in 2021 or shopping sites we forgot about. These are security holes waiting to happen.
The Fix: If you haven’t logged in for 12 months, delete the account. Not the app—the account.
2. Starve the chatbot
AI is useful, but it doesn’t need to know your secrets.
The Fix: Turn off “Chat History” in your AI settings where possible. Never enter financial details, legal documents, or medical info into a public Generative AI tool.
3. The “location” audit
Does your flashlight app need to know you are in a coffee shop? Does your calculator need your contact list? Absolutely not.
The Fix: Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services (on iOS or Android). Change permissions from “Always Allow” to “While Using” or, even better, “Never” for non-essential apps.
4. Ditch the SMS two-factor
Hackers can swap SIM cards easier than they can crack passwords. Receiving your 2FA codes via text message is the weak link in 2026.
The Fix: Switch to an Authenticator App or use a physical security key (like a YubiKey). It takes five minutes to set up and multiplies your security by ten.
The bottom line
Data Privacy Day isn’t about fear; it’s about agency.
Your data is an extension of your physical self. It is your identity, your history, and your future. By taking control of it, you aren’t just securing a device; you are reclaiming your right to be a person, rather than a data point.
Don’t wait for next January. Make privacy a habit, starting now.
eNews
PNB partners Kiwi to launch credit-enabled UPI for users
Targets 180 million customers; RuPay card offers 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent cashback
MUMBAI: Swipe, tap, or scan credit is quietly slipping into the rhythm of everyday payments, and Punjab National Bank wants in on the action. The state-run lender has partnered with Kiwi to roll out credit-enabled UPI payments for its 180 million customers, marking a significant push to blend traditional banking with India’s fast-evolving digital payments ecosystem.
At the centre of the collaboration is the launch of the PNB Kiwi Credit Card on the RuPay network. The card is designed with a digital-first approach, offering fully online onboarding and seamless integration with UPI, allowing users to transact via scan-and-pay while accessing credit.
The offering also brings in a rewards layer, with cashback ranging from 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent on online transactions, positioning the product as both a convenience play and a spending incentive.
The move comes as UPI continues to dominate India’s digital payments landscape, increasingly blurring the lines between debit-led transactions and credit access. For PNB, which operates over 10,000 branches around 60 per cent in semi-urban and rural areas, the partnership signals a targeted effort to extend formal credit to segments that have traditionally remained underserved.
The collaboration also reflects a broader industry shift, where banks and fintech platforms are converging to embed credit directly into payment flows, reducing friction while expanding access.
With RuPay credit cards gaining traction and UPI evolving beyond peer-to-peer transfers, the PNB–Kiwi tie-up positions both players at the intersection of scale, accessibility, and the next phase of digital finance in India.
