The Delhi High Court ruled that an individual’s travel records constitute personal information protected from disclosure under the Right to Information Act. Unless disclosure serves a larger public interest, such data cannot be shared with third parties, even in the context of criminal proceedings. This decision reinforces the legal boundary between transparency obligations and the fundamental right to privacy for individuals not directly involved in the specific information request. This judgment is significant for open data initiatives as it establishes clear precedents regarding the non-disclosability of sensitive personal identifiers. It clarifies that government agencies holding travel data must prioritize privacy exemptions over routine information requests, limiting the scope of available open datasets. Researchers and activists must now account for these strict privacy filters when seeking or publishing mobility-related records. Consequently, efforts to create open databases of citizen movements face higher legal barriers. The ruling emphasizes that personal privacy takes precedence unless a compelling public interest justification is proven. This affects how open data platforms operate, requiring rigorous anonymization and legal compliance to avoid violating individual rights while striving for governmental transparency.
Source: livelaw.inPublished on 2024-04-13
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