EaseMyTrip founder flags security flaw in rival travel site, claims China link

EaseMyTrip founder and chairman Nishant Pitti alleges rival travel site has ties to China and poses a data security threat to Indian armed forces; shares a series of screenshots from the rival website.

By  Storyboard18May 15, 2025 6:24 PM
EaseMyTrip founder flags security flaw in rival travel site, claims China link
Pitti alleged that the competing platform, which he says is, "majorly owned by China," collects Defence IDs, travel routes, and data from Indian military personnel in exchange for discounted air tickets. (Image credits: X)

Nishant Pitti, Founder and Chairman of travel platform EaseMyTrip, has accused a rival travel aggregator of having a major data vulnerability, one that could expose sensitive information about Indian armed forces personnel to foreign entities.

Pitti alleged that the competing platform, which he says is, "majorly owned by China," collects Defence IDs, travel routes, and data from Indian military personnel in exchange for discounted air tickets. "Indian Armed Forces book discounted tickets via a platform majorly owned by China, entering Defence ID, route & date. Our enemies know where our soldiers are flying," he wrote on social media platform X.

Backing his claims, Pitti shared a series of screenshots from the rival website. One of them revealed an interface where armed forces personnel are prompted to input their Defence ID in order to access exclusive travel discounts.

While such benefits are commonly extended to military members by travel providers, Pitti argued that requiring sensitive identifiers through a potentially compromised platform could open doors to surveillance or tracking.

This comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. Recently, India has seen growing calls for economic disengagement from countries such as Turkey and Azerbaijan, both of which publicly supported Pakistan during its recent tensions with India.

First Published on May 15, 2025 4:46 PM

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