Privacy isn't negotiable

UPDATE: The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY) is making edits to the data protection bill drafted by the Justice Srikrishna Committee. You can read our blog on the good and bad aspects of the bill, and learn more about how we got here below.

It’s essential that India has a strong and robust privacy law that protects and empowers citizens.

Why is it important for you care about the bill?

• So that you don’t have to blindly accept the complex & tedious ‘terms and conditions’. Instead, you can demand meaningful consent: clear, simple options,including the option to opt out.
• So that we have limits on what companies and the government can do with your data - what they collect, what they use it for, how they keep it safe.
• So that there is a regulator you can complain to, and that can investigate and fine companies or the government if they put our data and privacy at risk.

What next?

The draft version of the bill has been submitted to MEITY. Following Cabinet clearance, the bill could be introduced and passed in Parliament as soon as the winter session in November/December. We hope that MEITY holds a public consultation before the bill goes to the Parliament.

It is crucial that an important legislation, such as this, is strengthened by inputs from non-governmental experts, civil society and the broader public through a public consultation.