Skip to main content

Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 is out; law raises questions on govt provisions which hint at unfettered access to data

Last week, the Union Cabinet gave a nod to the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019, which aims to bring regulations around usage and storage of personal data.

Today, the bill has been circulated among Members of Parliament, that you can also read here.

The Internet Freedom Foundation, in a tweet, revealed that the bill has been circulated today. The same tweet also carries a link to Google Doc with the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019.

Representational Image.

The bill is listed for introduction in the Parliament’s Winter Session, which is set to conclude on 13 December.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had held an undisclosed and selective consultation on the Draft Personal Data Protection Bill on 25 August 2019.

You can read the bill in full detail below.

Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 by Tech2 on Scribd

The Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 lays out a framework, which includes limits of usage, collection, and processing of personal data, along with the setting up of a data protection regulator. This is the first step in developing a privacy framework for India.

Meanwhile, the Bill also raises questions about what the government can do with personal data. “It allows the governments to analyse personal data when required and if necessary. However, the government will have to show that it is purely for national interest and is authorised by law,” sources told Tech2.

MediaNama has also shared a statement by Mozilla India's Udbhav Tiwari, who called the bill being too lenient when it came to data processing by the government. "Indians have been waiting for a data protection law for years now, and this latest bill delivers real privacy in regards to processing by companies and is a dramatic step backwards in terms of processing and surveillance by the government. Exceptions for government use of data, the verification of social media users, and the forced transfer of non-personal data all represent new, significant threats to Indians’ privacy. If Indians are to be truly protected, it is urgent that Parliament review and address these dangerous provisions before they become law.”

Recently, SFLC, a legal services organisation, also published a statement on the cabinet's approval of Personal Data Protection Bill 2019.

SFLC has called for the government and MeiTY to release all the comments received during the public consultation on the earlier draft of the Bill. "This will be in line with principles of transparency and will help all stakeholders comprehensively assess the changes proposed in the new version of the Bill. We believe that the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, due its complexity and wide import, must be referred to the Standing Committee on Information Technology post its introduction in either House of Parliament. This will also provide sufficient time to stakeholders to give their comments on the latest version of the Bill," said SFLC.

Many users in India are also reacting to the bill on Twitter right now.

What seems to be the primary concern amongst users is that, per the bill, wherever the government finds it is necessary it can direct that all or any of the provisions of this Act shall not apply to any agency of the government in respect of processing of such personal data.

Essentially, the government will protect users' personal data but not from itself.



Udimi - Buy Solo Ads from Firstpost Tech Latest News https://ift.tt/2LHFjrj
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9 VCs in Madrid and Barcelona discuss the COVID-19 era and look to the future

Spain’s startup ecosystem has two main hubs: Madrid and Barcelona. Most observers place Barcelona first and Madrid second, but the gap appears to close every year. Barcelona has benefitted from attracting expats in search of sun, beach and lifestyle who tend to produce more internationally minded startups. Madrid’s startups have predominantly been Spain or Latin America-focused, but have become increasingly international in nature. Although not part of this survey, we expect Valencia to join next year, as city authorities have been going all-out to attract entrepreneurs and investors. The overall Spanish ecosystem is generally less mature than those in the U.K., France, Sweden and Germany, but it has been improving at a fast clip. More recently, entrepreneurs in Spain have moved away from emulating success in pursuit of innovative technologies. Following the financial crisis, the Spanish government supported the creation of startups with the launch of FOND-ICO GLOBAL, a €1.5 billi
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Stay Creative and Keep SEO in Mind

Information Technology Blog - - How to Stay Creative and Keep SEO in Mind - Information Technology Blog Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to customizing your website’s content to ensure that web browsers give your website a high SEO score. The sites with the highest SEO scores are featured on the search engine’s first page of search results for relevant searches.  71%  of the click-throughs happen with articles listed on the first page of results on the search engine. This means that if your website’s article is the second (or third, or fourth page), it’s less likely the search user will even see your article. You want your article to be ranking as close to the top of the first page of results as possible. In order to have a good SEO score your site’s content needs to feature keywords and relevant phrases. It must be optimized for easy navigation between pages. It also needs to be referenced via external links that drive traffic to your site. Incorporating all of these elem
Post a Comment
Read more

Digital World And SEO Challenges In 2020

Information Technology Blog - - Digital World And SEO Challenges In 2020 - Information Technology Blog Can you imagine a life without any digital intervention? Certainly not! We are dependent on the assistance of smart gadgets from ordering food to our tables to book tickets for vacations. Humans are utterly reliant on a masterpiece they have built with their incredible intellects. I am amazed by this. Let’s have a broader look into it. The Era Of Digital Marketing We exist in a time where every single business entity requires assistance from the digital market. It has now put an end to conventional marketing practices. To get your product the desired popularity, one must choose an E-commerce business approach. According to a survey , almost 3.4 billion people (approx. 85% of users) spend about six and a half hours browsing the web. Your customers will be more likely to do an online purchase rather than buying it from a nearby store. So, get a cool website built, use the best pos
Post a Comment
Read more