Media claims that the Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) intended to monetize passenger and freight customer data have been refuted. According to some sources, the goal of the initiative was to bring in up to $1 billion in revenue. The stories circulated on social media sites and drew criticism from individuals who support digital rights.
According to a top IRCTC official, the organisation does not sell its data and has no intention of doing so, and the media accusations are completely false.
As control is transferred to the appropriate Payment Gateway or bank for the payment at the time of online payment for its various services, the official further stated that IRCTC does not maintain any financial information of its clients on its system server.
According to additional reports, an expert consultant from outside was tasked with studying data from Indian Railways applications pertaining to the passenger, freight, and parcel sector as well as any vendor-related data. In a statement to ANI, an IRCTC representative denied the allegations and stated that consultants were being hired to enhance current operations and provide guidance on potential new business ventures for IRCTC and Indian Railways.