Data Shared In Masked Form, Says ULIP Amid Complaints Over Sale Of Vehicle Information, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) has denied allegations of misusing vehicle information, stating all data shared is masked.
• This response follows an audit sought by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways due to complaints of apps and websites selling unmasked vehicle data.
• Some entities were reportedly extracting large volumes of data, with up to 50 lakh records per month.
• The Road Ministry has requested the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to conduct a forensic audit of its portals, including VAHAN, SARATHI, e-Challan, and PUCC.
• The Ministry also sought intervention from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to review and strengthen its data sharing policy.

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Detailed Insights:

• ULIP functions as a federated digital platform that securely connects various government logistics systems, enabling authorized users to access verified logistics data through standardized APIs.
• It relays information in the format received from source APIs, ensuring that sensitive details like vehicle owner names, chassis, and engine numbers remain masked, and mobile number fields are null.
• The complaints highlighted that some platforms were selling vehicle information in an unmasked form, indicating potential breaches outside ULIP's direct control.
• ULIP employs safeguards such as screening entities, defining use cases, binding terms and conditions, IP whitelisting, phased onboarding, and continuous monitoring of API usage.
• These safeguards align with the Road Ministry’s Policy for Data Sharing from the National Transport Repository (NTR), which mandates authentication, secret keys, masking of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and defined approval mechanisms.
• The VAHAN portal manages vehicle registration details, while SARATHI handles driving license services, both maintained by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• The forensic audit by CERT-In aims to investigate the security of these core portals, which hold extensive vehicle-owner information.
• The Ministry's move to audit enforcement agencies that access its portals indicates a comprehensive effort to secure data across the entire ecosystem.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP): A digital platform integrating various government logistics systems to provide a single window for logistics-related data exchange.
• VAHAN: A national portal by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for vehicle registration services and data.
• SARATHI: A national portal by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for driving license-related services.
• Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In): India's national agency for cybersecurity incident response, operating under MeitY.
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Information that can identify an individual, either directly or indirectly, such as name, address, or Aadhaar number.