Allegations that passports of an entire family were scanned during a purchase at a duty-free store at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3 have raised concerns over passenger privacy and the collection of personal information.
An Indian couple living in the United States claimed in a social media video that after one family member purchased a bottle of liquor, store employees also scanned the passports of other family members who had made no purchases. The couple said the passports of their nine-month-old baby and another young child were also scanned.
Why Were All Passports Scanned?
According to the couple, they had arrived in Delhi from the United States and visited a duty-free store at Terminal 3 after completing immigration formalities.
One family member purchased a bottle of liquor. During the transaction, employees allegedly began scanning passports.
The couple claimed the process was not limited to the person making the purchase and that passports belonging to other family members were also scanned.
The couple said their young children had not purchased anything from the store, but their passports were allegedly scanned as well.
When the family questioned employees about the need to scan the documents, they were allegedly told that the process was related to checking available offers.
The family was subsequently informed about discounts and other offers on certain products.
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Why Was Passport Data Needed?
The couple questioned why passport information belonging to family members who had made no purchase was required merely to provide information about offers or discounts.
They said that if only one person had made the purchase, there should be a clear explanation for collecting identity details belonging to other members of the family, particularly children.
They also questioned what information was captured from the passports and how it could potentially be used.
Was Consent Taken?
In the social media video, the couple raised concerns over whether passengers were clearly informed about the collection of their passport information and whether consent was obtained before the documents were scanned.
They also questioned whether the information was used only for the immediate transaction or stored separately in another system.
It remains unclear what specific information was captured from the passports and whether any data was retained after the transaction.
What Did Delhi Airport Say?
After the issue surfaced on social media, Delhi Airport’s official social media account contacted the couple and sought further details about the incident.
The couple was asked to provide their contact number and necessary passport-related information through the official contact channel so that the matter could be examined and appropriate assistance could be provided.
Was This Standard Procedure?
It is not yet clear whether scanning the passports of all family members was part of the duty-free store’s standard procedure or was carried out under specific circumstances.
It is also unclear whether employees were authorised to scan documents belonging to people who had not made a purchase and whether passengers were adequately informed about the purpose before their documents were scanned.
These questions will be important in determining whether the incident involved a routine duty-free procedure or any departure from established rules.
Why Is This a Privacy Concern?
A passport is an important identity document containing sensitive personal information. Any process involving its scanning or digital capture raises questions about why the information is being collected, how it is used, where it is stored and who may have access to it.
The allegation that passports belonging to young children, including a nine-month-old baby, were also scanned has added another dimension to the concerns raised by the family.
The matter will require clarity on whether the passport scanning was authorised, what information was recorded, whether it was retained and whether passengers were adequately informed before their documents were processed.
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