DigiYatra users crash 65% following DataEvolve scandal

DigiYatra was off to a flying start and cruising along until a recent scandal broke out surrounding the private company DataEvolve (https://dataevolve.in/) which was selected by the DigiYatra Foundation to design and manage the app. The foundation scrambled to minimise the damage but had to ask existing users to re-install the app, which made many users wary.

Making India one of the early movers in the space, DigiYatra was launched by MOCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in Bangalore, Varanasi, and Delhi in December 2022 and subsequently expanded to other airports in 2023. As of April 2024, the app and service are now available across 14 airports, including Mumbai, Delhi, Varanasi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Pune, and Ahmedabad, based on traffic numbers. It is due to be implemented at another 14 airports this month, taking the total count to 28.

Adoption has been robust and till a few weeks ago, DigiYatra had been used 19 million times by 4.5 million users. Adoption has been highest in Delhi (5.33 million times), closely followed by Bangalore Airport with 5.18 million uses. With domestic travellers crossing 150 million, 4.5 million was still a small drop in the ocean and the app had a long way to go.

But after the cloud appeared over DataEvolve the company partnered with the foundation to create the app, Fortune India spoke to DigiYatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadaknbhavi on the episode and whether it could have been avoided. Excerpts from an interview with Fortune India’s Anjuli Bhargava: 

Q : A lot of users have become wary since the private company that first created the app is under investigation by the authorities. Could this have been avoided?

A : When we started on this, we wanted to entrust the job to an Indian startup and we invited requests for proposals. The committee for selection included biometric experts from IITs, officials from Niti Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission, our own technical working committee. The main criterion for selection was the technological capabilities. We had over 40 applicants, around 15 were shortlisted and based on our requirements they made prototypes. DataEvolve was one of the two finalists and won on merit. The second finalist voluntarily withdrew as they felt blockchain was not their expertise. 

Q : But the fact that the founder was related to a former police officer reeks of nepotism and is very poor optics…

A : Yes but as you can imagine, we had no way of predicting something like this. In hindsight, I do wish things had played out differently but we need to solve the problem and move ahead. Within a few days, we were able to do that. 

Q : Many users say that nobody asks anybody to redownload apps, mostly one only upgrades the app. Why has this been necessary?

A : This is very true. To make things simpler, we have updated the old app and given a link to the new app. We had to change the package name and then the app and Play Store treat it like a totally new app. We are now handling it internally. In the longer run, we plan to have a Tier 1 or Tier 2 IT partner like Infosys, or TCS. The RFP is in process. Currently, on Apple and Android, we are getting 45,000 users every day, and are reaching two million (we were at 4.5 million). We expect to reach the old numbers very soon.

Q : The re-download has done a bigger disservice since those who are already wary have become even more suspicious…

A : Let me say here that we are not asking for anything barring a selfie than what people are parting with already. If you open a bank account, you give a copy of your Aadhar and a passport-size photo. Same for SIM cards or bank loans. Other than this, you have your travel documents which would in any case be validated at the airport, even without DigiYatra.

We collect less than most and neither are we storing the data anywhere. Let me explain. For instance, if you get a new phone, you will have to reinstall DigiYatra but you will not get the information on all your past trips as say happens with WhatsApp, where you get all your past chats. How does this happen? There is a central place where everything is stored.

For us, we opted for privacy by design. Nobody anywhere is storing your travel history. We decided right at the start that we don’t want to store anyone’s personal identification information and then run the risk of loss, theft, leaks, breaches and so on. To eliminate this risk, we chose the decentralised ecosystem of self-sovereign identity.

So if people take a moment to think it through, I would reiterate that we are asking for less than what most citizens are already parting with to other platforms and we are not storing any data whatsoever.

Q : Returning users is one thing. How do you hope to bring in new users?

A : A variety of methods. Besides digi buddies placed at airports by the airport authorities, we are working with a media partner where we are creating several videos for confidence building and awareness. You will see them on various platforms and channels soon. We are also sharing information on digi yatra at all international fora possible. Several countries have approached us since we are ahead in implementation. 

Q : Will it be possible to extend this at some stage for those travelling out or coming back into India too? That would be a relief for many as immigration queues can be quite daunting depending on the time of travel, especially for those returning after long-haul journeys.

A : A lot of coordination will be needed with the concerned authorities like the Ministry of External Affairs and immigration authorities. But credential sharing -- be it your boarding pass, ID and passport details - can happen quite easily with the Bureau of Immigration, even two or three days before the passenger travels.

Take for instance a flight from Bengaluru to Frankfurt. You have shared your details with the Indian Bureau of Immigration and now one can share all the required details with the EU authorities and that too in advance. There can then be an automated border control. All you have to do is scan your passport, match your face and then go right through. After a ten-hour flight, nobody wants to stand in a two-hour queue which often happens at certain European airports at peak times.

A trial like this was done between Dubai and London and once the IATA guidelines are issued, I am certain countries will scale and experiment at a larger scale. We are at the cusp of it and in my view only two to three years away from it becoming the norm for travel globally.