Delhi HC seeks Centre's reply on alleged leak of vehicle owners' personal info by mobile apps

The Delhi High Court has sought the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ response on a PIL alleging that various mobile applications allow access of personal details of vehicle owners and also sensitive information related to any vehicle by just entering its registration number.

One lawyer Gopal Bansal has sought directions to the transport ministry to set aside the Policy for Providing Access to Information from National Register – A Centralized Database of Driving Licenses and Registration Certificates.



He also wants the Law Ministry to frame a proper legislation for protecting the aforesaid National Register. Besides, the PIL has asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to stop the operation of the mobile applications involved in breach of data contained in the National Register.

While the Central Government told the HC that is actively investigating the matter and will conduct a thorough review to address the concerns raised in the PIL, a bench led by Chief Justice Manmohan has asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to file a detailed affidavit in this regard and listed the case for further hearing on February 19.

Bansal highlighted that several mobile applications available on the Google Play Store grant easy access to private details, including the owner's name, address, and other vehicle-related data, which could lead to major privacy violations and potential security risks.

He wants the government to regulate or restrict the dissemination of personal information through these apps, calling for stricter enforcement of data protection laws and privacy safeguards.

According to the petition, the sensitive information related to any vehicle was exempt from disclosure even under Section 8(1)(a),(e) and (g) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Information had been sold to third party entities by the transport ministry under the erstwhile Bulk Data Sharing Policy and Procedure Policy (now scrapped), it said, alleging that the data is still being sold even under the new policy.