New Delhi: DPDP Act 2023 Enhances Data Protection Amid Cybercrime Surge
New Delhi: In response to evolving threats from cyber-criminals targeting personal data, the Indian government has reinforced its commitment to data protection with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. This legislation upholds key principles designed to safeguard individuals’ data and incorporates established standards for its protection.
According to the Ministry of Electronics & IT, the DPDP Act mandates several critical principles for data management. These include securing explicit consent for the lawful and transparent use of personal data, restricting data collection to necessary levels, ensuring accuracy and timely updates, limiting data storage to the required duration, and implementing stringent security measures. The Act also enforces accountability through penalties for data breaches and adjudication processes.
Notably, the Act includes stringent provisions on data transfers, exemplified by the Reserve Bank of India’s directive under Section 10(2) and Section 18 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. This directive requires the storage of payment system data within India, highlighting the Act’s robust stance on protecting personal data.
“The DPDP Act underscores our commitment to high data protection standards and restrictions on personal data transfers,” stated the IT Ministry. As India continues to embrace digital transformation, maintaining rigorous data protection standards will be essential for fostering trust and sustaining growth in the digital economy.
With over 936 million Internet subscribers, India has emerged as a global leader in the digital domain. However, this rapid growth has also led to a rise in cybercrimes, with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) registering numerous cases over the past three years.
To address these challenges, the government has established the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C) to improve the coordinated response of law enforcement agencies to cybercrimes. Additionally, the ‘Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System’ has been launched to enable immediate reporting of financial frauds and prevent fund siphoning by fraudsters. A toll-free helpline, ‘1930’, has also been set up to support these efforts.
