Delhi-based think tank The Dialogue organised a stakeholder consultation titled “Enabling a Progressive Privacy Regime: Discussing the Road Ahead” to discuss India’s evolving data protection framework amid growing concerns around privacy and digital rights.
The event brought together over 80 participants from industry, academia, government, civil society, research institutions and the media. Discussions focused on the need for a rights-based data protection law that balances innovation, privacy and security.
Key issues deliberated included privacy in emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies, the importance of due process in the proposed Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, data ownership, the right to be forgotten, data erasure, and purpose limitation.
The second session centred on digital payments, examining biometric authentication, data localisation, privacy-by-design principles and the impact of data localisation on businesses, startups and cross-border data flows. Participants highlighted the need for cost-benefit analysis of localisation measures and stressed the importance of maintaining innovation while protecting user privacy.
Stakeholders also underscored the need for lawful and transparent mechanisms for data access by law enforcement agencies, supported by adequate checks and balances. Multilateral data-sharing frameworks and bilateral agreements were suggested as potential solutions to address security and data access requirements.
