- UPI payment loopholes expose personal data; women face harassment from Cab drivers
- Rising threat to women’s privacy
Article Today, New Delhi:
The safety of women passengers using private cab services has come under severe scrutiny after several incidents revealed alarming privacy breaches. Ride-hailing platforms such as Ola, Uber, InDrive, and Rapido, despite promising high safety standards, have failed to prevent harassment by drivers. A key loophole in the system is the leakage of personal phone numbers through UPI payments, enabling drivers to contact women passengers directly.
A Tip that Turned Into a Threat
A recent case from Gurugram has highlighted the issue. A woman who paid a driver Rs.100 as a tip via UPI soon began receiving inappropriate messages from the same driver. Even after blocking him on WhatsApp, the driver continued sending messages through Paytm. Since the driver had dropped her home, he was also aware of her address, which intensified her fear. The incident has sparked discussions on social media platforms like Reddit, where several women have shared similar experiences, exposing the weak safety frameworks of cab applications.
Weak Monitoring and Background Checks
While most cab aggregators advertise safety features such as emergency buttons and live tracking, experts say these measures remain superficial. Background verification of drivers is often incomplete or inconsistent. In Kochi, an Uber driver allegedly sent offensive messages to a woman passenger after completing a trip, asking intrusive personal questions. In Noida, a driver threatened a group of women after they requested a route change. These incidents underline systemic failures in driver monitoring and accountability.
Privacy Rules Ignored
The leakage of personal contact details through UPI transactions has raised serious concerns about data protection. Ideally, ride-hailing apps should restrict communication between drivers and passengers to in-app chat features only. However, UPI systems currently transmit mobile numbers during transactions, creating a privacy risk. Critics argue that both cab companies and payment service providers are compromising user safety for operational convenience.
Call for Strict Action
Safety experts and consumer rights advocates have urged cab aggregators and UPI service providers to address these security lapses immediately. Companies must act swiftly on complaints, suspend offending drivers, and ensure they are blacklisted across all platforms. Authorities have also been urged to impose stronger data protection regulations for ride-hailing and payment platforms. Without robust corrective measures, daily commuting may continue to pose serious risks for women passengers, eroding public trust in digital transport services.
