Government tables Digital Personal Data Protection Bill in Lok Sabha
The government has introduced the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha, despite opposition from MPs who wanted it referred to a Parliamentary committee. This Bill is India's second attempt at creating privacy legislation and will apply to digital personal data processing within India and data processing outside the country if it involves offering goods or services or profiling individuals in India.
Opposition criticized exemptions for Central government and agencies
The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, provides extensive exemptions for the Central government and its agencies, which drew criticism from Opposition MPs. The Bill mandates that entities collecting personal data maintain the accuracy and security of collected data, and delete data once its purpose is fulfilled. There are also concerns about the Bill diluting the RTI Act.
The Bill is part of government's broader tech regulation framework
This Bill is a key component of the Indian government's broader technology regulation framework, which also includes the Digital India Bill, the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, and a policy for non-personal data governance. Last year, the government withdrew a previous version of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill after facing pushback from various stakeholders, such as tech companies and privacy activists.
Opposition staged a walkout after Bill's introduction
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government is ready to discuss the Bill with the opposition. He added that none of the issues raised by the opposition challenges the legislative competency of the government. After the Speaker allowed the introduction of the Bill, opposition MPs, including the Congress, DMK, TMC, NCP, and left parties, staged a walkout.
