NEW DELHI: Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday tabled the Digital Personal Data Protection bill in the Lok Sabha, amid protests from Opposition parties demanding it be sent to a parliamentary committee.
The bill proposes to regulate the usage of personal data of citizens by private companies as well as government agencies and is the first legislation related to privacy. It says personal data can be only processed by data fiduciaries (entities that collect and process personal data), companies or government agencies lawfully with the consent of the individual concerned.
However, state agencies will be exempt if they use data for national security purposes or emergencies like epidemics. In case of a data breach, the entities will have to cough up Rs 250 crore in each instance. The bill mandates data fiduciaries to inform users mentioning in clear language why their data is collected and what is its usage. Users can withdraw their consent at any time.
“The bill will protect the rights of all citizens, allow the innovation economy to expand, and permit government’s lawful and legitimate access in national security and emergencies like pandemics and earthquakes,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for electronics and information technology. The bill will be tabled in Rajya Sabha next week.