THE PASSWORD PROBLEM : CYBER BREACHES, DIFFUSED LIABILITY, AND INDIA'S DATA PROTECTION EXPERIMENT

The recent exposure of millions of login credentials linked to platforms such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Netflix has reignited global concerns regarding digital security and data protection. While the breach itself may not have originated from a single corporate failure, its scale highlights systemic weaknesses in cybersecurity governance, legal accountability, and user protection. This article examines the incident through the lens of India's evolving cyber and data protection regime, critically analyzing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and relevant judicial precedents. It argues that India's cyber laws remain largely reactive, fragmented, and ill-equipped to address large-scale, cross-border data breaches in an increasingly data-driven society.