Passenger raises privacy concern over Digi Yatra app; Minister Scindia says…

In the Digi Yatra process, there is no central storage of passengers' Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Thursday.

Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday clarified that under Digi Yatra, passengers' data are stored in their own devices and not in centralized storage.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia responded to Digi Yatra passengers' encryption query.

In the Digi Yatra process, there is no central storage of passengers' Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data, it said. (ALSO READ: ‘UP will have 21 airports in coming times,’ says civil aviation minister Scindia)

All the passengers' data is encrypted and stored in the wallet of their smartphone. It is shared only between the passenger and the airport of travel origin, where the passenger's Digi Yatra ID needs to be validated. The data is purged from the airport's system within 24 hours of departure of the flight. The data is shared by passengers directly, only when they travel and only to the origin Airport, says MoCA.

Responding to a tweet on Digi Yatra, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia tweeted, "Passengers' personal information data is not stored in any central repository or by the Digi Yatra Foundation. The data is stored in the passenger's own phone in the Digi Yatra secure wallet. Rest assured, no data is being collected or stored."

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) further informed that the data cannot be used by any other entity since it's encrypted. This process is voluntary and provides the convenience of smooth, hassle-free, and health-risk-free travel.

Digi Yatra is an initiative of the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a biometric boarding system using Facial Recognition Technology. It aimed at providing a seamless and hassle-free experience for passengers at airports. Its main objective is to enhance the passenger experience by eliminating the need for verification of tickets and ID at multiple touch points and to achieve better throughput through existing infrastructure using a Digital Framework.