Parliament Downloads Data Bill Amid Privacy Concerns, Row Over Scrutiny

A new law that claims to strengthen the digital rights of Indians but has also attracted concerns about allowing the central government and agencies unfettered access to citizens' data was introduced in parliament on Thursday.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid heated demands from opposition members to refer it to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.

Union Minister of Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw tabled the bill, rejecting claims that it was a money bill, designed to bypass an inspection by the upper house Rajya Sabha. He insisted the law was a "general bill."

Opposition MPs, privacy activists, and various stakeholders have criticised the bill's exemptions for the central government and its agencies, calling them a "sinister move" to "trample" citizens' right to privacy and access to information.

Opposition leaders, including Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule, Trinamool Congress's Saugata Roy, and RSP MP NK Premachandran, vehemently opposed the introduction of the legislation, raising concerns about potential dilutions of the Right to Information Act, 2005, and the autonomy of states.

To counter the criticism, the government fielded junior IT minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar to share its stance on social media.

Despite the opposition's vociferous objections, the Lok Sabha permitted the bill's introduction via a voice vote. This marks India's second attempt at framing privacy legislation, after three previous versions were considered and ultimately abandoned by the government.

In response to opposition demands for the bill to be referred to a parliamentary panel for further deliberation, Mr Vaishnaw argued that the issues raised by opposition MPs were unrelated to the government's legislative competence.

He assured the house that the government was ready to engage in a detailed discussion on the bill, including addressing allegations made by opposition MPs.

The bill, which is part of a broader framework of technology regulations being constructed by the centre, proposes the establishment of a data protection board to adjudicate matters related to data breaches and violations of the bill's provisions.

It also requires data-collecting entities to maintain data accuracy, ensure data security, and delete data once its purpose has been fulfilled.