IBM India calls for balance between protecting privacy, harnessing data and technology

IBM India on Thursday welcomed the move to refer the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 to a joint committee of both houses of Parliament for evaluating its ramifications before it is enacted.

"We welcome the decision and look forward to a progressive bill that strikes a careful balance between protecting the privacy and harnessing data and technology to expand economic opportunity for the citizens of India," said Karan Bajwa, Managing Director of IBM India Pvt Ltd.

The bill was introduced in Parliament on Wednesday. "From an industry perspective, we believe the framework should recognise and uphold the seamless and cross-jurisdictional nature of the internet," said Bajwa.

The hope is that the framework will consider aspects like global standards, interoperability of privacy regimes, government-to-government data sharing arrangements and cross border data flow mechanisms as these are necessary for a flourishing data economy, he added.

"To effectively implement this, we look forward to engaging with the government on consultations to build a framework that is evolutionary and allows for precision regulation within principles-based legislation that offers certainty and predictability," said Bajwa.

"We urge the government to reach out to a variety of stakeholders, including industry, for their insights and inputs in a robust consultation period as the bill is finalised," he said.