January 29, 2018

Interesting view and questions on data protection

In this internet connected always on world, we all generate a mind boggling amount of data. How is this data used by companies, what rights we have etc are important.

This article discusses some issues of data protection.

1. Who is the beneficiary of data protection?

Data is generated whenever any we undertake any transactions to further our purposes of living our lives. Since we are not hermits, our affairs cause us to engage with others as part of our lives. Together with these others, we pursue common purposes. Our activities towards these common purposes result in data.

Companies, or third parties, in the business of gathering, storing, modifying, analysing, trading or managing data leverage data from our affairs for their profits. The profits of these companies builds a data economy, usually also a digital economy. The exploitation of such data by these third parties is often viewed as innovation. Start-up businesses that exploit such use of data are often encouraged.

You, the Justice Srikrishna Committee, have to address the issue and make explicit the beneficiary of any data protection framework you propose. Is it transacting parties generating data, while pursuing their common purposes while living their lives that you will provide a protection to? Or is it third parties who choose to exploit the data of others to their profits that you are aiming to protect? Or is it the digital companies in the business of selling hardware and software to build digital empires across continents?

Your answer will decide the culture and society we will become - one that protects we, the people, or one that protects the profits of third parties exploiting data of others. One that upholds the promise and principles of the Preamble to the Constitution or one that colonises, corrupts and destroys the country as it drives its laws to help private interests to profit through exploitation of the lives of people of India.

2. Who are you protecting the beneficiary from?

Read more at http://www.moneylife.in/article/5-questions-for-the-justice-srikrishna-committee-on-data-protection/52884.html

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