Boycott MakeMyTrip and Goibibo trending on Twitter. The reason was a PIL

Today, the hashtag boycott MakeMyTrip is trending on social media site X (formerly Twitter). Many users have been tweeting, urging others to delete the travel site's app. Additionally, many are tweeting against another travel website, Goibibo. The users have voiced their concerns over data privacy.

"Users are urged to prioritize their data security by boycotting MakeMyTrip and uninstalling GoIbibo amid growing concerns over privacy breaches," wrote one X user.

"They're committing fraud with their users, which is not acceptable. Let's raise our voices against it," said another.



These concerns arose after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court, seeking direction to the Centre to take steps to ensure data confidentiality for the travel companies.

However, the court dismissed the petition today, stating that it has not received any representation from the Union of India. The court then asked the petitioner to raise the grievance with the Union of India.


The plea was moved by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a BJP leader, who stated that foreign travel companies not only collect the data of the common man but also the personal data of lawmakers, Ministers, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, defense personnel, Civil Servants, and their family members.

The petition claimed that several companies operating in India are partially or fully owned by Chinese investors.

Furthermore, the plea expressed concern about the potential misuse of citizens' data, especially their Aadhar and passport details.

It also referenced the Supreme Court's decision in the Justice Putaswamy Case, which held that the right to privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21. Subsequently, the Data Protection Committee, also known as the Justice Srikrishna Committee, suggested that government-issued identity cards are sensitive personal data and their processing requires stringent laws.

Section 3 of the DPDP Act 2023 states that the provisions of the Act shall apply to the processing of digital data, both inside and outside the territory of India, if the goods or services are offered to the data principal within the territory of India. Therefore, the plea emphasized that it is the duty of the Centre to seek clarification from travel companies and particularly from foreign companies on data protection measures.

The petitioner suggests that the Centre should take written undertakings from the travel companies, particularly from foreign travel companies, to keep citizens' data confidential and to comply with the provisions of the DPDP Act 2023 in letter and spirit.