Data Protection

Social Security whistleblower quits after alleging data mishandling by DOGE

A Social Security official who has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging the Department of Government Efficiency officials mishandled Americans' sensitive information says he's resigning his post because of actions taken against him since making his complaint. Charles Borges, the agency's chief data officer, alleged that more than 300 million Americans' Social Security data was put at risk by DOGE officials who uploaded sensitive information to a cloud account not subject to oversight. His whistleblower disclosure was submitted to the special counsel's office on Tuesday. In a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, Borges claimed that since filing his whistleblower complaint, the agency's actions make his duties impossible to perform legally and ethically and have caused him physical, mental and emotional distress. After reporting internally to management and externally to regulators, serious data and security and integrity concerns impacting our citizens' most sensitive ...

Data protection rules likely by year-end, says DSCI chief Vinayak Godse

DSCI chief Vinayak Godse says this will pave way for rollout of the data privacy law

New Cloud lobby seeks 'national asset' status for India's strategic data

B-DIA is further lobbying for mandatory government-backed data backups, physical audits, and source code access from all foreign vendors operating in sovereign sectors

Overlapping concerns, multi-sector impact delaying data protection law

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act has been delayed due to non-release of administrative rules; govt may undertake another round of inter-ministerial consultations to weed out any errors

Excessive data, digital tools regulation can slow MSMEs expansion: Survey

A majority of MSMEs surveyed expressed that excessive regulation over data and digital tools can create constraints for them and deprive them of tech gears necessary for scaling the business and reaching new markets and customers, a report has said. India SME Forum conducted a survey among more than 1,000 MSMEs for insights into the integration of digital tools within their operations, the report said. A majority of respondents said that excessive regulation could create constraints for MSMEs, depriving them of digital tools necessary for scaling their businesses, reaching new markets, and sustaining competitiveness, it said. Digital tools serve as a cost-effective and scalable means to compete with larger enterprises and establish their brands. "Many MSME members have expressed that the current overall regulatory framework for personal data and non-personal data is overly restrictive, creating compliance burdens that hinder their ability to market effectively and engage with ...

Nasscom, other bodies oppose DPDP Rules on cross-border data transfer ban

In the draft of the DPDP Rules, released in January this year, the ministry of electronics and information technology had proposed certain additional obligations on significant data fiduciaries

Modi govt weakening RTI in name of data protection, claims Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Modi government of weakening the Right To Information (RTI) Act in the name of data protection and asserted that his party will keep fighting against the "dictatorial" regime to secure the rights of the people. Kharge asserted that the Congress will not let RTI weaken and will continue to raise its voice from the streets to Parliament. "On one hand, India has been topping the charts on Misinformation and Disinformation for the past years and on the other hand, the Modi government is bent on weakening the Right To Information (RTI) Act implemented by the Congress-UPA by bringing in the Data Protection law," the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi on X. Whether it is information in the public sector like the list of ration cards, beneficiary labourers of MGNREGA, names of people involved in public welfare schemes, voter list in elections, or the names of scamster billionaires who fled abroad after taking loans from ...

Tata Technologies IT services reinstated after ransomware attack

Tata Technologies assured stakeholders that client delivery services continued without disruption

DPDP rules need to be principle-based rather than prescriptive: Vaishnaw

Over 200 participants, including key government officials from various ministries, industry leaders, legal experts, and policymakers, discussed the rules

Will hold wider consultation with industry bodies on DPDP rules: Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the government will hold wider and more consultation meetings with industry bodies on the draft data protection rules. The government held its first consultation meeting with industry representatives on draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025. "A lot of suggestions have come from digital platforms. We will now start focussed consultation process with various industry organisations. We want consultation to be very extensive," Vaishnaw said. According to an official statement, the consultation attracted representatives from various sectors such as technology, consulting, MSMEs, banking, and finance. Some notable organisations in attendance included DSCI, NPCI, PwC, Apple, Microsoft, Snapchat, Accenture, Zomato, Deloitte, KPMG, PhonePe, OpenAI, and others. Vaishnaw in the meeting highlighted the importance of understanding the full scope of the framework, stressing that to gain a clear understanding of the framework for

Draft DPDP rules: Task cut out for banks as operational challenges loom

Banks engage in cross-selling financial products from their subsidiaries and third parties to their customer base

Data protection rules may be refined further to protect children: Vaishnaw

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules will be refined further to connect children with technology while saving them from harms in the digital space, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. While speaking to reporters, the minister said the rules will evolve based on the learning from their implementation. "We will refine it (DPDP Rules) further to take the power of technology to children while saving them from many harm," Vaishnaw said. The government issued draft DPDP Rules 2025 on January 3 and these are open for public consultation till February 18, 2024. According to the draft rules, digital platforms can process data of a child only after taking consent from verifiable guardian or parents. The verification can be done using voluntarily provided details of identity and age, or through a virtual token issued by an entity entrusted by law or by the Centre or state governments to maintain details of a person. Vaishnaw said the token system has been successfu

DPDP Act's long gestation period raises questions about its efficacy

The DPDP Act comes with a long gestation period. What does that mean for its efficacy?

Draft data protection rules balance regulation, innovation: Vaishnaw

The draft protection rules released by the government create a balance between regulation and innovation while completely protecting citizen rights, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. The government issued draft rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act on Friday for public consultation till February 18. "Rules have to be within four walls of the Act. It is within the ambit of the Act passed by Parliament. These rules have been framed to ensure a balance between regulation and innovation while completely safeguarding the rights of citizens," Vaishnaw told PTI in an interview. The minister said earlier there was only one template available to the world -- the European data protection rule with a high level of regulation. However, Indian rules have attempted to balance the regulation with innovation to safeguard the boom in the innovation ecosystem developing among startups in the country. He said extensive consultations have been held with the industry

Govt releases draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, no penal clause

The government has released the long-awaited draft of Digital Personal Data Protection Rules that do not mention any penal action for violations. The draft rules, which have been published for public consultations, will be taken into consideration for making the final rule after February 18. "Draft of rules proposed to be made by the central government in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 40 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (22 of 2023), on or after the date of coming into force of the Act, are hereby published for the information of all persons likely to be affected thereby," the draft notification said. The draft rules have laid out provisions related to consent processing of individuals, data processing bodies and the functioning of authorities under the Digital Data Protection Act, 2023. "...notice is hereby given that the said draft rules shall be taken into consideration after 18th February, 2025," the notification said.

15 months after DPDP Act, rules to be out by the end of this month

The law will be applicable to all kinds of personal data, without making sub-categories such as sensitive personal data and critical personal data

Balance privacy & AI innovation in DPDP rules: Global tech body urges govt

Asks for a compliance period of 18-24 months to the data protection legislation

Over 60% companies in India follow problematic data practices: Study

These practices, as defined by the report, include excessive data collection, secondary processing without consent, among others

Meity plans to deploy experts for streamlining internal govt data use

The said 'data expert' may be a single person or multiple people, depending on the requirements of a particular ministry

KPMG India ties up with Zscaler to help organisations deal with cyber risks

KPMG India-Zscaler alliance will offer broad security services to help organisations understand and effectively manage cyber threats, unique to their businesses