Bill for data protection

Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 does little for Indian
users while obliging global corporations
The government has proposed a new data protection bill after rejecting the previous one in August 2919. The
proposed law would be the most recent regulation governing how organisations in India such as Facebook
and Google process and transfer data. In fact, aggressive lobbying by global corporations that have profited
handsomely from Indian consumers' data led to the withdrawal of the earlier data protection measure. Cross-
border data flows had been subject to rigorous limitations under the previous privacy bill.
The Modi government originally tried to control multinational corporations by making data sacred, but
eventually gave in to pressure from digital giants who clamoured for an easing of the restrictions and a
reduction in the burden of compliance on them. In reality, the multinational corporations used US pressure to
weaken the privacy laws. India currently has more than 760 million internet users, which generates a vast
amount of data that is accessible to businesses engaged in the digital sphere. Ironically, the same businesses
operate with no fuss in the European countries where strict data protection laws are in place. The Indian
government has stated that it will list the nations to which organisations that manage data may send user
personal information.
For violations of the law's requirements, there might be financial penalties of up to 2.5 billion rupees.
According to the draught plan, which is available for public comment until December 17, the government
would have the authority to exclude state agencies from the bill's requirements “in the interests of sovereignty
and integrity of India” and to maintain public order.
The most recent privacy bill's major flaw is that it provides the government a lot of power. If the
government wished to do so in the interest of the country, it would be possible for it to access and use the
data. According to the government, “national and public interest is sometimes stronger than an individual's
interest.”
While developing the new plan, it is claimed that data protection laws in Singapore, Australia, and the
European Union have been examined along with worldwide best practises. In the end, the new law would give the
government unrestricted access to any data if it invoked the national security clause, negating the principles of
personal data protection by accessing any individual's data and using it without his consent.