Indian Parliament Collaborates On Controversy Digital Data Protection Act

JAKARTA - On Wednesday, August 9, Indian lawmakers passed a data protection law that will regulate how technology companies process user data amid criticism that the law is likely to lead to increased scrutiny by the government.

The law will allow companies to transfer some user data overseas while giving governments the power to request information from companies and issue directives to block content on suggestions from the data protection board raised by the federal government.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 gives the government the power to grant exceptions to state institutions from the law and gives users the right to correct or delete their personal data.

The new law comes after India withdrew the 2019 privacy bill that has worried technology companies such as Facebook and Google with proposals for strict restrictions on cross-border data flow.

The law proposes fines of up to 2.5 billion rupees (Rp455.8 billion) for violations and non-compliance.

However, the law has come under criticism from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups over the scope of exceptions.

The Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights group, also states that this law does not contain meaningful protection against "extended oversight," while the Editors Guild of India stated that the law affects press freedom and undermines the Law on Information Rights.

The deputy minister of information technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said that this law will protect the rights of all citizens, enable an innovation economy to develop, and grant government permission for valid access in terms of national security and emergencies such as pandemics and earthquakes.