Railways floats tender to monetise customer data, may withdraw it: Report

The Railways has floated a tender to hire a consultant to monetise its passenger and freight customer data with the aim to generate revenue up to Rs 1,000 crore, but sources said it may be withdrawn amid concerns over privacy issues.

While many on social media, including advocacy groups have raised concerns over violation of data privacy issues, government sources have clarified that the consultant would advise the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on steps to improve its existing business and plan strategies to monetise future opportunities.

While the Railways has not officially commented on the tender, highly placed sources said it will be withdrawn "considering the fact that the Data Protection Bill has not been finalised".

According to the tender document, the data to be studied will include information captured by the transporter's various public facing applications such as "name, age, mobile number, gender, address, e-mail ID, class of journey, payment ..