Delhi HC Dismisses PIL Against These Travel Companies Amid Data Security Concerns Raised By Users

The Delhi High Court dismissed the PIL against MakeMyTrip and Goibibo citing the absence of any communication from the Union of India,

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL regarding data security concerns against two travel companies MakeMyTrip and Goibibo while citing the absence of any communication from the Centre. The plea was filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a BJP leader, who highlighted that foreign travel companies not only gather data from the public but also from lawmakers, Ministers, Supreme Court and High Court Judges, defence personnel, Civil Servants, and their families.

The petition pointed out that several companies in India have Chinese investors, raising concerns about the potential misuse of citizens' data, including Aadhar and passport details.

The High Court while disposing the plea said, "The petition is disposed of with a liberty to the petitioner to raise the grievance with the Union of India. If a representation is filed, the same be decided by way of a reasoned order in accordance with law as expeditiously as possible," as reported by LiveLaw.

The plea referenced the Supreme Court's decision in the Justice Putaswamy Case, affirming the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21. Additionally, it mentioned the recommendations of the Data Protection Committee, also known as the Justice Srikrishna Committee, regarding the sensitivity of government-issued identity cards and the need for robust data protection laws. Section 3 of the DPDP Act 2023 extends the Act's provisions to digital data processing, both within and outside India's borders, if goods or services are offered to data principals within India.

Therefore, the plea underscored the Centre's responsibility to seek clarification from travel companies, particularly foreign ones, on data protection measures. The petitioner proposed that the Centre should obtain written assurances from travel companies, especially foreign ones, to uphold data confidentiality and comply with the DPDP Act 2023 in its entirety.

Boycott Trend Against MakeMyTrip & Goibibo

After the PIL was lodged, both companies came under fire. The hashtags #BoycottMakeMyTrip #BoycottGoibibo went trending on X (formerly known as Twitter) for quite some time. Numerous users tweeted and urged everyone to delete the apps of these companies. The main reason behind this boycott was that these apps are mainly owned by Chinese investors. 

A user on X wrote, "Users are urged to prioritise their data security by boycotting MakeMyTrip and uninstalling GoIbibo amid growing concerns over privacy breaches," wrote one X user. Another user said, "They're committing fraud with their users, which is not acceptable. Let's raise our voices against it."

A user even shared a meme on this topic with the caption, "Chinese apps stealing data of Indians. Me to MakeMyTrip & Goibibo: #Boycott_MakeMyTrip Uninstall Goibibo"