Protection of data

Personal data is the most precious thing in modern times. The data protection bill presented in the Parliament can be considered as a big step in this field as there have been allegations that even the data collected by the government has been leaked to private companies. Under the Bill, individuals will now have the right to amend, update and/or delete their personal data. The Bill stipulates that data collected for a specific purpose shall not be used for any other purpose and shall be destroyed after a specified period of time. This will lead to the strengthening of digital rights.

The Data Protection Bill gives the citizen the right to question the use of information provided for various purposes without his consent. As bills with the same objective have been repealed three times, the opposition's demand to leave the new one to the parliamentary committee was rejected by a voice vote and permission to introduce it was obtained in the House. Responding to the opposition's allegation that the Data Protection Bill was introduced as a money bill that did not require Rajya Sabha approval, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw clarified that it is not a money bill. Rejecting the opposition's charge that the bill would allow intrusion into the privacy of citizens, the minister explained that it protects the citizen's data. The Data Protection Bill comes years after the Supreme Court ruled that privacy is a fundamental right. The provisions of the Bill focus on ensuring the accuracy and security of data. The bill also provides for a fine of Rs 200 crore for data breaches including unauthorized use, disclosure, sharing and acquisition of data and failure to report these matters to the Data Protection Board. The data fiduciary, an agency mandated to handle data, can also be fined up to Rs 250 crore for failing to ensure security safeguards. The provision of such fines is a big warning to those who dare to misuse data.

The government has been given the right to use the information collected for subsidies and government services for other purposes. At the same time, the government will have the right to collect the data of those under the shadow of suspicion, putting national security first. It is necessary to prevent terrorist activities. It cannot be characterized as an encroachment on the rights of the citizen. Such laws are present in all developed countries.