What are the complaints about Digi Yatra?
- Concerns arose about the collection of facial biometrics for the Digi Yatra app at airport entry gates without passengers' consent or knowledge.
Key Highlights
Complaints from Air Traveler
- Air travellers lodged complaints about the "coercive and deceptive" practices of private staff and CISF personnel enrolling them for Digi Yatra without their permission.
Digi Yatra and Its Objectives
- Digi Yatra is an initiative promoting digital processing of passengers for paper-less and seamless movement through airport checkpoints.
- Launched in 2018 as a voluntary program, Digi Yatra was implemented from December 2022 at three airports and has expanded to 13 airports, with plans for 24 more in 2024.
Ownership and Implementation
- Digi Yatra app is owned by a consortium, Digi Yatra Foundation, with shareholders including the Airports Authority of India and five private airports.
- The aim is to enhance operational efficiency, track delayed passengers, and improve security.
Issues with Implementation
- Government asserts no central storage of passenger data; it's encrypted and stored on mobile devices.
- Shared with departure airport on the day of travel, data is purged within 24 hours.
- Concerns raised about compliance with data protection laws.
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, is passed, but rules are pending.
- Criticisms include broad powers for government agencies to exempt themselves, aligning with exemptions in Digi Yatra policy.
- Policy allows access to passenger data by security agencies based on existing protocols
- It provides the Biometric Boarding System the ability to change data purge settings for security reasons.
Prelims takeaway
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act
- Digi Yatra app