New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI): A claim circulating on social media, citing a media report, suggested that the Income Tax Department would tap passenger data from the 'DigiYatra' app to crack down tax evaders.

However, a PTI Fact Check Desk investigation found the claim to be false.

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The report, initially quoting anonymous sources and lacking concrete evidence, was later updated with DigiYatra's response refuting the claim.

The Income Tax Department rubbished the claim and the Ministry of Civil Aviation also clarified that the media report was based on “unfounded and inaccurate claims”.

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An X user shared the link to a December report by The New Indian Express, with the caption “Tax department to tap DigiYatra data. Misuse of data by the Income tax department. One more reason people will hesitate to use Digi Yatra. People have no faith in this government, as any government department may start using DigiYatra data (Sic).”

The post on X quickly gained traction with many other users sharing it with the same claim.

Using a customised keyword search on Google, PTI Fact Check found a post by the Income Tax department from December 30, refuting the claims made in the news report.

“It is seen that news articles have appeared stating that Digiyatra data will be used to crack down on tax evaders. In this connection, it is clarified that as of date, there is no such move by the Income Tax India department,” the post read.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation also shared a post on X on the same day stating that the media report was based on “unfounded and inaccurate claims”.

“The Ministry of Civil Aviation hereby clarifies that the recent media report concerning DigiYatra is based on unfounded and inaccurate claims. Digi Yatra passengers' data is not shared with Indian tax authorities. The Digi Yatra app follows the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) model, where Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and travel credentials are stored exclusively on the user's device, not on any central repository," the post said.

"Furthermore, the data is deleted entirely if a user uninstalls the Digi Yatra app. Additionally, airport systems automatically purge passenger data within 24 hours of the flight's departure. It is also important to note that Digi Yatra is designed solely for domestic passengers and does not apply to international travellers,” it added.

DigiYatra Chief Executive Officer Suresh Khadakabhavi also responded to claims made in the report by The New Indian Express, saying that “no central storage of biometric or personal data stays on users' phones, and facial authentication is decentralised.”

Further investigation revealed that The New Indian Express report was updated with DigiYatra's response later on but its heading and subheading still made the same claim.

PTI Fact Check Desk's investigation concluded that the claims made in the media report lacked evidence and were refuted by the concerned authorities – the DigiYatra app, the Income Tax Department and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

For more details, read the full fact-check report here: https://bit.ly/3BHjjKB

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(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)