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Source: The post is based on the article “Union government rolls back Data Protection Bill” published in The Hindu on 5th August 2022.
What is the News?
The Union Information Technology Minister has announced the withdrawal of The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.
What is the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019?
Why has the Bill been withdrawn?
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was deliberated in great detail by the Joint Committee of Parliament(JCP), 81 amendments were proposed, and 12 recommendations were made toward a comprehensive legal framework for the digital ecosystem.
Hence, in the circumstances, it is proposed to withdraw the bill and present a new bill that fits into the comprehensive legal framework.
What did the JCP recommend?
The JCP proposed 81 amendments to the Bill. Some of these are:
– Expanding the scope of the proposed law to cover discussions on non-personal data — thereby changing the mandate of the Bill from personal data protection to broader data protection.
– Recommended changes on issues such as regulation of social media companies.
– Using only “trusted hardware” in smartphones.
– Social media companies that do not act as intermediaries should be treated as content publishers — making them liable for the content they host.
