MTCC’s MVR 13 million taxi app hacked, exposing personal data of registered users

MTCC’s Male' Taxi Line application, developed at a cost of MVR 13 million, has been hacked, resulting in the leak of extensive personal information on social media.

According to drivers working in the service and information circulating online, the breach was first noticed when driver names began changing inside the app. Shortly afterwards, the application became completely non-functional, and the service was fully interrupted.

The leaked data includes confidential personal information of users who had registered on the app, names, phone numbers, wallet IDs, and email addresses.

In addition, customer messages and trip details were also released, heightening concern among users of the service.

The government launched the Male' Taxi Line on April 2 to provide convenient transport services in the Greater Male' area.

However, the service was not available through the application for nearly two months after launch. The app was officially released on June 2.

MTCC said the service, launched with 150 environmentally friendly, fully electric (EV) vehicles, completed more than 13,000 trips in its first month. Taxi services are provided through the application and the 1655 hotline.

The security of the costly application has now been breached, leading to the leak of sensitive information. MDP MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) had previously raised concerns in Parliament, alleging corruption in the development of the application.