Government needs to bring in data privacy regulations by framing policies, laws, says Ankit Fadia. (File)
There is a need for the government to bring in data privacy regulations by framing policies or laws to prevent misuse of public data, cyber security expert and author Ankit Fadia said today.
The self-proclaimed ethical hacker said the government must force the operating system companies and app companies to be more transparent with consumers by informing about the private and confidential data/information which they are recording.
"It is important for the government to come out with some regulations that define what kind of data can be recorded and where it needs to be stored, how long it can be stored. It cannot be stored permanently," Mr Fadia told reporters after launching his 20th book and his first fictional hacking themed thriller novel "The Casino Job."
The government also needs to force large tech companies to allow law enforcing agencies access to these data in the event of some cyber security-related crimes, he said adding the firms can be told to seek permission from the users before they record that information.
"Some kind of governance is important... it could either restrict the amount of data that they are collecting or force these companies to be more transparent," he stressed.
Mobile phone manufacturers can create awareness programmes about the data they are collecting and finally it is the consumers, who need to be careful before downloading any apps, he said.
Mr Fadia further said mobile phone operators or manufacturers can also pre-install some security software for making secured phones.
"The most powerful companies in the world will be companies that have the most data and most powerful nations will be the ones that have maximum data... and I think data is new currency in the future," he added.
Speaking about his latest book, Ankit Fadia said it is about three friends who go to a casino ship in Goa and the story is all about how they use technology and hacking skills to recover their money from a mafia which they had won in casino.