Personal data protection – A thinking person’s guide

Source: The post is based on the article “Personal data protection – A thinking person’s guide” published in Business Standard on 14^th August 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

Relevance: About Digital Personal Data Protection law

News: Recently, the Parliament passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.

What is the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023?

Read Here: Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023: Explained

Why was the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 needed?

Previously, privacy meant personal matters like income, caste, and health issues and the debate on data protection law usually revolved around these problems.

However, the negative uses of digital data went unquestioned for years until the Cambridge Analytica Scandal in 2018.

This scandal revealed that the British company had gathered data from 87 million Facebook users for aiding Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

Hence, government around the world expressed worries about the potential misuse of the digital data. This made India to enact Digital Personal Data Protection law.

What are the issues being faced by the government worldwide in implementing Digital Personal Data Protection Law?

First, governments face challenge with balancing the interests of businesses and citizens regarding personal data usage.

Second, governments find themselves competing with other nations in leveraging their citizens’ data for national defense and geopolitical objectives.

What lies ahead?

With the enactment of Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, India has taken a great step. Other countries should also consider taking similar steps while considering the concerns of all stakeholders.