The Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 on August 9, 2023, following Lok Sabha's approval on August 7, 2023. The bill gives individuals more control over their personal data and imposes obligations on companies that collect and use it.
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the bill is a "watershed moment" for India's data protection landscape. He said that the bill will "balance the interests of individuals, businesses, and the government."
The bill defines personal data as "any information that relates to a natural person," including their name, address, phone number, email address, and biometric information. It also defines sensitive personal data as information that relates to a person's race, religion, caste, sex, health, and financial information.
The bill gives individuals the right to access their personal data, to correct it if it is inaccurate, and to ask for it to be deleted. It also gives individuals the right to object to the processing of their personal data for certain purposes, such as marketing.
The bill also imposes obligations on companies that collect and use personal data. Companies must obtain consent from individuals before collecting their personal data. They must also take steps to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
The bill has been welcomed by privacy advocates, who say that it will help to protect the privacy of Indian citizens. However, some businesses have expressed concerns about the cost of compliance with the bill.
The bill will come into force 18 months after it is published in the official gazette.
