Data Protection

Airtel seeks sovereign stack to control Indians' data processed overseas

Bharti Airtel has questioned fragmented approach in rules at present to allow data processing of Indians overseas and has pushed for control on local data using sovereign cloud, a senior company official has said. Speaking at Global Fintech Fest 2026, Bharti Airtel, Group CRO and Director -- Corporate Affairs, Rahul Vatts -- said it is not correct to equate local data residency with data sovereignty but it is about controlling the data with a sovereign technology stack. He said the government came up with the first circular on this, which is actually quite pathbreaking "and the government has had very detailed discussions over the last 30-45 days as to what we should be really looking at". He said while the government remains proactive, two areas that should always be important for us to keep -- one is to have a clear discussion on where the control plane is and the manner in which it will be managed. "The second part is that we need to get away from this fragmented policy approach

SBI to complete software, hardware deployment for DPDP compliance by Dec

State Bank of India (SBI) has procured software and hardware as part of its preparations for compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) framework, with installation and deployment expected to be completed by December, a senior bank official said on Friday. "Procurement of software is done and the deployment will be completed by December for DPDP compliance. Some hardware and software have been procured, and the installation will be done by December," the official said on condition of anonymity. As one of the country's largest banks, SBI processes large volumes of customer and financial data across its banking operations, making data security and privacy an important part of its technology and compliance architecture. The procurement and installation of the technology infrastructure aim to strengthen the bank's systems as it prepares to implement the new data protection regime. The move comes as banks and other organisations that process personal data are preparing

SBI aims for DPDP compliance by December, ahead of May 2027 deadline

The country's largest lender has procured the software and hardware required to comply with DPDP norms and plans to deploy them ahead of the May 2027 deadline

Fintech has too many moving pieces: Arbitrage window is closing fast

India's data-protection rules are narrowing fintech's regulatory arbitrage, raising compliance costs while creating new opportunities in regtech, cyberrisk and governance

SC seeks govt's reply on pleas against RTI changes through DPDP Act

Petitioners argued that the amendment broadly exempts personal information from disclosure by removing the public-interest safeguard contained in the earlier RTI provision

SC seeks Centre's response on DPDP Act amendment to right to information

Petitioners argued that the amendment broadly exempts personal information from disclosure by removing the public-interest safeguard contained in the earlier RTI provision

NPCI plans to mask phone numbers on UPI apps to boost user privacy

Following privacy concerns, NPCI has asked UPI apps to hide phone numbers and make username-based payment IDs the default for new users

'Pronto's use of customer data early test of DPDP Act implementation'

India's data-protection framework offers some guardrails but leaves wide room for interpretation in how those rules apply to AI training

Privacy cannot be confined to legal or compliance teams: Ashok Hariharan

IDfy's Ashok Hariharan says privacy must move beyond checkbox consent, with firms embedding accountability, governance and breach readiness into everyday operations

USTR flags issues in DPDP Act, IT Rules provisions impacting firms

USTR flags lack of deemed consent for credit information firms under DPDP Act, says provisions and data rules may affect operations of US credit bureaus in India

It will be reasonable to go slow on AI regulations, says Jules Polonetsky

Jules Polonetsky says India's DPDP Act lays a workable foundation for AI governance, even as global consensus on regulation remains elusive

Proposed DPDP timelines a challenge: Meta's Chief of Global Policy

Martin, who was in India to attend the AI Impact Summit, also said the AI talent base in India was unparalleled

SC issues notice to Centre on plea challenging 2023 data protection law

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre on a plea challenging the constitutional validity of several provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. The plea, moved by The Reporters' Collective and renowned journalist Nitin Sethi, argues that the new data regime severely dilutes the Right to Information (RTI) Act and grants the Centre "sweeping powers" over personal data. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, while agreeing to examine the legal complexities of the Act, refused to grant an interim stay on the impugned provisions. Representing the petitioners, advocate Vrinda Grover said that the Act lacks surgical precision in its attempt to protect privacy. "Instead of using a chisel, (the legislature) has used a hammer, and has thus rendered a body blow (to RTI), " the senior lawyer said. The petition said the DPDP Act creates a blanket bar on the disclosure of personal information, ..

India's AI moment: Summit can pave the way for accountable AI at scale

As AI adoption accelerates, India's AI Impact Summit aims to shape global rules, attract capital, and offer a Global South alternative to US- and China-led models

US investigates claims Meta could access private WhatsApp messages

Meta has previously been accused of running afoul of rules meant to protect user privacy, including several data and privacy mishaps that ultimately led to a record $5 bn fine by the US FTC in 2019

Zero trust is pervasive, but gaps remain on emerging cybersecurity threats

As AI adoption accelerates, zero-trust security, continuous monitoring, and stronger customer awareness are critical to counter deepfakes, fraud, and evolving cyber threats

KPMG expert’s analysis of DPDP

In this session of Guru gyaan, Akhilesh Tuteja, Partner & National Leader, Clients and Markets, KPMG in India, explains the DPDP rules and why it matters to BSchool students

Will give data to restaurants with user consent: Food delivery firms

Zomato, Swiggy and other delivery firms say customer phone numbers will be shared with restaurants only after clear opt-in consent

UIDAI to launch new app to allow for QR-code-based offline verification

UIDAI will launch a mobile app for consent-based Aadhaar verification via QR codes, ending the use of photocopies and allowing users to share only required details under the DPDP Act

India's DPDP rules: Govt in talks with industry to slash compliance time

Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Centre is consulting industry to cut the 18-month window for implementing new data protection requirements