Criminal proceedings for data privacy violation too harsh: Rama Vedashree

She says data protection should be done through a combination of processes, technology, capacity building and strong enforcement

Not everyone is lauding the Srikrishna panel’s recommendations for data localisation and criminal provisions for violations of privacy. In a conversation with Mayank Jain, CEO, Data Security Council of India, Rama Vedashree and a member of the panel, spoke about her contentions with the report and expanded on her dissent note, which was included in the report. Edited excerpts:

What are the major points of dissent that you have shared with the Srikrishna Panel?

One is the broad localisation of all personal data, which I feel is something that is not really required. Second is categorising financial data and passwords as sensitive