News Desk
The massive leak of personal user data from the newly launched “Male’ Taxi Line” app was an inside job carried out by an employee driven by political motives, the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) revealed today.
Confusion broke out after driver profiles inside the app were mysteriously renamed to political handles like “Hassankurusee,” sparking speculation online that outside hackers had breached the network. Shortly after, a trove of sensitive user data surfaced on social media, exposing riders’ full names, phone numbers, email addresses, wallet IDs, trip histories, and private in-app messages between passengers and drivers.
Rebutting external hack claims, MTCC issued a statement clarifying that an internal probe caught an employee abusing backend access without authorization.
“Our internal investigation confirms that an employee altered data in the backend database system, took screenshots, and leaked them,” MTCC said in the statement. “This staff member acted without authorization to pursue personal and political motives.”
MTCC confirmed the staffer has been suspended from duty and faces strict disciplinary action under company regulations.
The company stated that its ICT network security picked up the unauthorized backend access, triggering an immediate security lockdown. Systems and servers were completely secured and restored by 11:30 PM last night, with MTCC assuring passengers that the app is fully functional and safe to use.
The MVR 13 million app project—contracted out to Fixed Maldives—had already faced criticism over development costs and procurement transparency prior to its launch.
