The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is planning to monetise customer data as it floated a tender for the appointment of a consultant.
The Indian Railways ticketing arm also said that its decision on data monetisation is in nascent stages and it will follow all privacy laws.
“As a commercial entity, the company explores business opportunities for new areas. As with other business tenders, this tender has also been floated merely to appoint a consultant. The consultant will guide IRCTC and Indian Railways on monetization activities and advise on the monetisation value of Digital Assets by observing various Acts or laws including lT Act 2000 and its amendments, User data privacy laws including GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and current 'Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 of India. Further, being a Government Company, it is a regular practice to float tenders," the company informed stock exchange on Friday.
The company is in the nascent stage of floating the tender and calling bids from the eligible consultant aspirants, it added.
The sources in the company added that it is generating revenue of Rs 1,000 crore as it plans to sell (monetise) user data including customer data of both passenger services as well as freight services.
that passenger and freight data will have potential customers including hospitality, energy, health and infrastructure and tourism sectors.
Opposing the data monitisation, Internet Freedom Foundation tweeted saying "IRCTC, a government-controlled monopoly, must not prioritise perverse commercial interests over the rights and interests of citizens. And given the recent withdrawal of the Data Protection Bill, 2021, such monetisation becomes even more concerning."
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