The Lok Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill by voice vote on Monday amid opposition members chanting slogans over Manipur.
A number of amendments proposed by members of the opposition party seeking to amend the bill were defeated by a verbal vote.
The bill seeks to protect the privacy of Indian citizens while proposing fines of up to Rs. Rs 250 crore fines imposed on entities for misuse or failure to protect personal digital data.
The bill, which comes six years after the Supreme Court declared “privacy” a fundamental right, contains provisions to curb the misuse of personal data by online platforms.
Federal Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who brought the bill up for consideration and passage, said: “It would be great if the opposition discussed the bill today (in the House of Representatives). But there is no opposition lead. people or members concerned about the rights of citizens.” He said the bill was introduced after extensive public consultation.
Talking about the salient features of the bill, the minister said that the language of the bill is so simple that even ordinary people can understand it.
Referring to some of the principles on which the bill is based, Vishno said that based on the principle of legality, personal data must be obtained in accordance with existing laws.
He also stated that the data should be used for its purpose according to the principle of purpose limitation.
Speaking on the principle of data minimization, the minister told members why more data than needed should be taken.
He also pointed out that, as far as personal data is concerned, there must be storage limits. “Data should not be kept longer than it needs to be stored,” the Union minister said.
The notice and consent form will be available in all 22 languages mentioned in Schedule 8 to make it easier for people to understand.
Referring to the ADR mechanism in place, he explained that if an organization made a mistake, it would go to the Data Protection Commission, rectify the mistake and pay the fine, “and then move on”.
Responding to members’ suggestion that the Right to Information (RTI) provision be watered down in the bill, he said that RTI and personal data protection have been harmonized.
The bill was subsequently passed after a brief debate.
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