The law contains measures to prevent internet platforms from misusing users’ personal information, six years after the Supreme Court recognized the “Right to Privacy” as a fundamental right.
On Monday, despite opposition MPs raising slogans over the Manipur issue, the Lok Sabha unanimously passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill by voice vote.
Some of the amendments proposed by the opposition in an attempt to alter the measure were shot down in a voice vote.
The law proposes a penalty of up to Rs. 250 crore on corporations for exploiting or failing to secure people’ Digital Personal Data Protection, with the goal of protecting the privacy of Indian residents.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of information technology for the Union, pushed for the law’s approval, saying, “It would have been excellent had the opposition addressed the issue today (in the House). No one in the opposition cares about people’s rights, however. He said that the law was introduced after substantial public input.
The minister praised the measure for being written in plain English so that even the average citizen could comprehend its key provisions.
Vaishnaw cited the bill’s foundational principles, noting that the concept of legality requires that an individual’s personal information be collected in accordance with existing legislation.
According to him, data should only be utilized for the original reason it was collected.
The minister said that, in light of the concept of data minimization, there was no need to collect any more information than was strictly necessary.
Moreover, he pointed out that there must be a storage limit on private information. The Union minister emphasized that “data should not be kept beyond the point at which it needs to be stored.”
In order to make it simpler for the public to understand, we shall offer notice and consent in all of the 22 languages included in the 8th Schedule.
He stated that if a company makes a mistake, it would go to the Digital Personal Data Protection board, fix the problem, pay the fine, and “move ahead” because of the alternative dispute resolution process that has been set up.
In response to concerns raised by certain members that the measure watered down Digital Personal Data Protection for citizens’ right to access government records, he argued that the opposite was true, saying that RTI and privacy rights had been brought into harmony.
After a short discussion, the measure was ultimately approved.
