India's Rapid Digital Shift: Balancing Data Protection and Internet Governance

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is considering reducing the timeline for data protection compliance. Industry feedback is awaited before making a decision. Social media and online gaming regulation fall under national jurisdiction. The ministry emphasizes the importance of internet governance and inclusion as internet users surpass one billion.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is poised to cut down the timeline for data protection compliance, pending feedback from industry stakeholders, a senior official disclosed on Monday. The proposal aims to accelerate compliance from 18 months to 12 months for major data fiduciaries under the Digital Personal Data Protection rules.

The Ministry has yet to review the Karnataka government's proposal banning social media for children under 16, noting these issues require separate national jurisdiction consideration. "We're consulting with industry and awaiting inputs to make a final determination," S Krishnan, MeitY Secretary, revealed during the 85th Public Meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Highlighting India's leap in internet usage, with over a billion users now from just 200 million in 2014, the official stressed India's crucial role in internet governance. The focus is on inclusion, ensuring internet access in every Indian language, while safeguarding users' privacy and security on the digital platform.

(With inputs from agencies.)