'India To Put In Place A Robust Personal Data Protection Law': Prasad At G20 Digital Economy Meet

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was addressing the G20 Digital Economy Meet when he talked about data protection law and for digital platforms to be accountable to sovereign concerns.

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New Delhi: Union Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that digital platforms anywhere in the world should be accountable and responsive towards the sovereign concerns of countries, such as defence, privacy and security of citizens.  In his address at the virtual meeting of G20 Digital Economy Ministers, hosted by Saudi Arabia which is holding the presidency of G20, he emphasised on data-related issues and sovereign rights of countries to protect data privacy and security of its citizens.

Data must belong to the sovereign nation concerned to protect the privacy and digital concerns of its people. Data is very important for the growth of digital economy and there is need to balance different aspects such as innovation, enterprise & safety regarding this. #G20Meet pic.twitter.com/Z69s2ZJm7r

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) July 22, 2020

Prasad mentioned that India is soon going to put in place a robust personal data protection law that will not only address the data privacy-related concerns of citizens but also ensure availability of data for innovation and economic development. In view of these concerns, the digital platforms having a presence in many countries must become trustworthy, safe and secure, he said. Last month, the Indian government had banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat and UC Browser and Xiaomi's Mi Community over national security concerns amid the border tussle at Ladakh which also led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops.

Digital platforms need to be responsive, accountable and sensitive to the concerns of sovereign nations as far as safety, defence and privacy is concerned. #G20Meet pic.twitter.com/vGc4kLYRIO

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) July 22, 2020

Prasad also said that there is a need for building trustworthy Artificial Intelligence systems that can transform society. Further, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, he emphasised the need for building a resilient global supply chain and shared the government's vision for making India an attractive destination for investment closely integrated with global supply chains. WATCH | PM Modi during India Ideas Summit 2020, 'Come invest in India'