The government is aware of concerns over data theft for existing passports, and the soon-to-be issued e-passports and has taken adequate precautions to ensure privacy and safety, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament on Friday, amidst a lively exchange over both electronic chip safety for passports as well as whether their launch would “ignore” certain States or be rolled out uniformly across the country.
“The current Passport Seva Project includes robust safeguards for data privacy, as well as adequate measures for data security. Passport data is used for the specific purpose for which it is obtained. The introduction of the e-passports does not envisage any deviation from this practice,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in written answers in the Lok Sabha to questions posed by M.K. Raghavan of the Congress and Ravindra Khushwaha from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
