Priya Aditi
The proposal of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022 is expected to be approved by the Union Cabinet today, 5 July, It also stated that after cabinet approval, the measure would be introduced during the parliament’s Monsoon session.
In December of 2017, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the government anticipates passing the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill and the Telecommunication Bill during the Parliament’s monsoon session.
Earlier in April 2023, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that a new data protection bill is available and will be introduced in Parliament’s Monsoon session in July, as the apex court heard a case involving social media users’ privacy concerns.
What is the Data Protection Bill?
The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill is a piece of legislation that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the citizen (Digital Nagrik) on the one hand, and the obligations of the data trustee to use collected data lawfully, on the other. The Bill, which aims to regulate and protect the use of personal data, outlines the rights and responsibilities of users as well as the obligations of businesses.
The bill is founded on six data economy principles, the first of which addresses the collection and use of the personal data of Indian citizens. The collection and use of personal data must be lawful, must be safeguarded, and must be conducted with transparency. The second principal stipulates that data collection must be for a legal purpose, and that data must be stored securely until the purpose has been met.
The next principle is data minimization, which states that only relevant data should be collected on individuals, and that the sole objective should be to serve the predefined purpose. Considering the fourth principle,
The fourth principle addresses Data Protection and Accountability, whereas the fifth principle addresses the precision of data. The final principle outlines the regulations for reporting a data breach. A data violation should be reported to the Data Protection Boards in a fair, transparent, and equitable manner.
The proposed data protection legislation permits the transmission and storage of personal information in certain countries, while increasing the penalties for violations.
The proposed legislation requires consent before acquiring personal data and imposes severe fines of up to 500 crore on individuals and organizations that fail to prevent data breaches, such as accidental disclosures, sharing, modifying, or destroying personal data.
Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that the forthcoming Digital Personal Data Protection Bill will result in “deep behavioral changes” among those platforms in India that have long exploited or mishandled personal data. The minister stated that the digital personal data protection (DPDP) bill, which will be introduced in the upcoming session of Parliament, has undergone extensive consultation and is intended to be “a truly world-class piece of legislation”
The minister stated, “I have no doubt whatsoever that the DPDP Bill will result in profound behavioral changes among platforms in India that have long exploited and abused personal data.”
The government released the text of a new comprehensive data protection bill in November 2022, three months after withdrawing an earlier bill that had alarmed major technology companies.
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The government pledged to deliver a more comprehensive version of the Digital Data Protection Bill, so it withdrew the previous draft. Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed, when discussing the reasons for withdrawal, that a parliamentary committee had recommended 88 amendments to a 91-section bill, prompting the government to reconsider the entire bill.
