Data Protection Bill: India's First Step to Data Privacy

Data protection is perhaps the most significant need of the hour for global citizens as well as enterprises and governments. Safeguarding of data has generally been weak on the priority list of organisations for far too long and the time for transformation is now.

The EU's GDPR guidelines that came into effect in May this year, have inducted a vital thought process and debate on this matter on an international level. Citizens worldwide should expect and ask the same from their Governments and organisations they share their data with.

Farrhad Acidwalla, media entrepreneur and founder of CYBERNETIV, said: "The Srikrishna panel report has laid down numerous vital points when it comes to protecting the data of Indian citizens- the most crucial being the creation of DPAI - the intended watchdog for data protection in India.

"Privacy advocates across the country will be hoping that DPAI's powers are not thinned when finally executed. The panel has also included provisions to prohibit organizations from using privacy as a veil to stall transparency. The penalities proposed by the panel report, if administered as is, will be a great deterrent and effectively ensure data assurance for Indian citizens."