Govt Releases Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules to Safeguard Citizen Rights & Promote Innovation

The government has said that the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules aim to safeguard citizens’ rights for the protection of their personal data. These rules seek to operationalise the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), in line with India’s commitment to create a robust framework for protecting digital personal data. Designed to empower citizens in a rapidly growing digital economy, they seek to protect citizens’ rights in accordance with the DPDP Act while achieving the right balance between regulation and innovation.

The rules also address specific challenges like unauthorised commercial use of data, digital harms, and personal data breaches. The rules embrace a digital-by-design philosophy. Consent mechanisms, grievance redressal, and the functioning of the Data Protection Board are all envisaged as “born digital”, to ensure ease of living and ease of doing business. From processing complaints to interacting with data fiduciaries, workflows are optimised to ensure speed and transparency. This reflects India’s forward-looking approach to governance and builds trust between citizens and data fiduciaries. The draft rules are based on wide-ranging inputs gathered from various stakeholders and a study of global best practices. They are grounded in the principles enshrined in the DPDP Act. 

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has invited comments from the public and stakeholders till the 18th of next month through the MyGov platform, in line with the Government’s commitment to adopt an inclusive approach to law-making.