Daijiworld.com:
New Delhi: Friday, September 13, 2019.
According
to a Medianama report, over 142 companies purchased data of 25 crore vehicles
for an amount of Rs 68 crore. The companies in this regard also include Ola,
SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank to name a few.
The
companies obtained detailed data from the 'VAHAN' database, belonging to the
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Under the RTI Act, it was also found
out that the ministry is using the personal data as cash cow selling it since
2014. The ministry until recently has earned over Rs 21 crore for the year
2019.
This
move of the ministry is defined as a means to 'Benefit the country's economy'.
While
the government came up with a formal policy of selling the data in 2019 to
generate revenue, the sale of the same has been carried out since 2014.
However,
the companies that can have access to this data are those which are 50 per cent
owned by an Indian. To get the bulk data, the company needs to shell out Rs 3
crore. The bulk data includes registration number, engine number, model number,
dealer's name, financer's name, insurance company's name, insurance validity
and tax paid validity among other basic details.
Even
though the name of the owner is not shared, the revelation of his name can
happen with a registration number, thereby compromising the vehicle owner's
privacy.
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