NITI Aayog seeks clarity from Centre on Digi Yatra’s data privacy

Amid growing concerns about use of facial recognition technology (FRT) across sectors, the NITI Aayog has sought clarity from the government regarding possible passenger data storage, as well as compliance with the laws and trustworthiness of the ecosystem governing Digi Yatra, a flight boarding system that uses this technology and which the government proposes to use in the aviation sector in future.

The Digi Yatra Policy envisages Digi Yatra as a completely voluntary scheme. Where the passengers sign up and consent to use Digi Yatra for the purpose of check-in and boarding, this agreement would have the legal character of a voluntary agreement for the temporary collection, temporary storage, and use of data.