Digital Data Protection Bill Passes in Lok Sabha

Amidst opposition members shouting slogans over the Manipur issue, the Lok Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill on Monday through a voice vote.

Some amendments presented by opposition members, which called for changes to the law, were rejected by voice vote.

The bill seeks to protect the privacy of Indian citizens while proposing a penalty of up to ₹250 on entities that misuse or fail to protect individuals’ digital data.

The bill, which came six years after the Supreme Court declared the “right to privacy” a fundamental right, includes provisions to prevent misuse of individuals’ information on online platforms.

Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the bill is being moved for consideration and approval: “It would have been good if the opposition had discussed the bill today (in Parliament). But no opposition leader or member is concerned about the rights of citizens.”

He said the bill has been introduced after extensive public consultation.

Referring to the key features of the draft law, the minister said that its language is very simple, so even an ordinary person can understand it.

Referring to certain principles underlying the bill, Vaishnaw said that according to the principle of legality, a person’s data must be taken according to existing laws.

He also said that according to the principle of limitation of use, the information should be used for the purpose for which it was taken.

Why should more information be taken than required, the minister told the members, referring to the principle of information minimization.

He also stated that the storage of individuals’ data must be limited. “Data should not be retained for longer than it is necessary to retain,” the Union minister said.

The notice and consent shall be provided in all the 22 languages mentioned in the 8th schedule to make it easier for people to understand.

Referring to the alternative dispute resolution mechanism that has been put in place, he explained that if an organization makes a mistake, it goes to the data protection board, corrects the mistake and pays a fine “and moves on”.

Responding to members’ suggestions that Right to Information (RTI) provisions have been diluted in the bill, he said RTI and personal data protection have been harmonized.

The bill was later passed after a short debate.