Data openness is good but its safe use is a must

News: The Government of India has released a  policy document called “Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy 2022”.

About the Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy, 2022

What are the challenges in allowing public access to data?

India’s new open data proposition is, although comprehensive, will have exceptions. But it will still be safe, as safety caveats will prevent misuse or illegal use of data. However, It still needs many precautions to prevent misuse:

First, All possible eventualities, that could expose the personal lives of people through data, should be taken into account. For example, the details of vehicle ownership are available online, which have led to cases of women being stalked, should be checked.

Third, Even though tagged data is supposed to be aggregated and anonymized into metadata, it should not compromise individual privacy. It is important because software tools for disaggregation exist in the market.

Fourth, A law to keep personal data safe from disclosure should be made.

Lastly, while classifying data as sensitive, one must take a maximalist approach. Laws leave scope for unmasking of data. Laws do not grant ownership of data to users that belongs to them.

Source: This post is based on the article “Data openness is good but its safe use is a must” published in the Live mint on 23rd February 2022.