Amidst a continuously evolving scenario where cybercriminals deploy new tactics to illicitly acquire personal information, the government has introduced the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
DPDP Act dedication for individual data
This act is dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of individual data by integrating fundamental protection principles, as stated by the Ministry of Electronics & IT.
These principles encompass the necessity to gain consent for the lawful and transparent processing of personal data, confine its usage to clearly defined purposes, and reduce the collection of data to what is strictly necessary.
Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of maintaining data accuracy, periodically updating information, limiting the duration of data storage to what is necessary, implementing strong security safeguards, and holding entities accountable through penalties for data breaches and provisions for data dispute resolution.
Stringent rules are involved in DPDP Act
A critical aspect of the Act involves the stringent rules it puts in place regarding the transfer of personal data, highlighted by directives from the Reserve Bank of India under Section 10(2) and Section 18 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. These directives require all payment system data to be stored domestically in India.
The IT Ministry has pointed out that these regulations demonstrate the Act’s dedication to maintaining high data protection standards and impose restrictions on the transfer of personal data across borders under its legal framework.
India, a formidable force in the digital domain
As the nation moves forward with its digital transformation journey, upholding rigorous data protection norms is vital for building trust, ensuring resilience, and promoting sustainable development within its digital economy.
India has positioned itself as a formidable force in the digital domain, boasting over 936 million internet users. In light of this impressive statistic, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has recorded several instances of cybercrime over the past three years.
Government systems for reporting financial crimes
To bolster the response to cybercrimes, the government has set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Moreover, the launch of the ‘Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System’ aims to enable the prompt reporting of financial crimes to avert the diversion of funds by criminals.
To support victims of cyber fraud and facilitate the process of lodging cyber complaints, a toll-free helpline, ‘1930’, has been made available, ensuring timely assistance and support for affected individuals.