Parliament panel asks for protocols on data protection

The Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill chaired by BJP member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi sought detailed information from representatives of telecom operator Airtel and caller ID and spam blocking service Truecaller, who deposed before it yesterday.

New Delhi: A Joint Parliamentary panel on Friday sought details from mobile application-based companies about their protocols to check data breach.

According to sources the Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill, 2019 chaired by BJP member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi sought detailed information from representatives of telecom operator Airtel and caller ID and spam blocking service Truecaller, who deposed before it yesterday.

The Parliamentary panel asked companies about what data they collect from users and where they store it. The committee has earlier expressed concerns over data breach by social media platforms and mobile application based companies.

The companies said that they localise data which in turn reduces response time and helps them offering better services. They said that data is stored in countries where they operate.

According to sources, the committee asked companies on inferred data and said it should also be secured. However, the companies said it should be kept out of the Data Protection Act.

The majority of members in the panel are of the view that most users in India and across the world have no understanding of security and personal data protection. If users don't provide consent, they will not be able to use services, the panel members noted.

The committee also sought to know if the data is being used for advertising or any other thing.

Representatives of Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, PayTM, Google, Reliance Gio, Ola, and Uber have put forth their views in front of the committee.

The Personal Data Protection Bill, which seeks to provide for the protection of personal data of individuals, and establishes a Data Protection Authority for the same, was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 11 last year. The bill was later referred to the joint committee of Parliament.

ANI Report