Safeguarding Minors: AI Collaboration Sparks Privacy Concerns

The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to states and central departments due to privacy risks in a collaboration between a US AI company and India's Pratham NGO. Concerns regard data handling under the new DPDP Act, 2023, with AI used in education possibly violating children's data privacy.

The National Human Rights Commission has sounded the alarm over potential risks to children's privacy in a partnership between a US AI firm and the Indian NGO, Pratham. States and Union Territories have received notices due to allegations of data vulnerabilities, prompting urgent scrutiny of these collaborations.

The complaint, driven by the NAMO Foundation, questions the privacy safeguards surrounding the AI-fueled 'Anytime Testing Machine,' which processes children's academic data. Concerns center on whether these initiatives comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, and Indian educational policies.

The Commission has directed immediate inquiries to ensure minors' data protection. Notably, education and technology departments must assess their involvement. A report is expected in two weeks, aiming to clarify who benefits from this AI collaboration, with children's rights and privacy at the forefront.