Data Governance in India
Context:
- India has the opportunity to promote its technical advancements thanks to its G-20 chairmanship, particularly in the fields of data infrastructure and data governance. The G-20 has highlighted the need for global collaboration and cooperation in addressing the difficulties, opportunities, and dangers presented by the quick development of data and digital technologies as the world becomes more digital.
Recent changes:
- India has improved substantially in recent years in terms of its data governance and digital legislation. Nevertheless, as the country grows, it must also ensure that its digital projects and data governance are open, transparent, secure, and supportive of sustainable growth.
- There have been considerable advancements in the promotion of digital transactions through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and other options, as well as the use of digital technologies to grant access to bank accounts.
DEPA and related problems:
- The launch of India’s Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA), a consent management platform, has stakeholders both excited and concerned. On the one hand, by offering people more control over how their personal information is used and shared, DEPA has the potential to strengthen data protection and privacy for citizens. By allowing consumers to easily manage and control their data consents, DEPA may help boost public confidence in digital technologies and data governance.
- However, if the consent management tool is not correctly built or managed, there is a possibility that personal data may be misused or exploited.
- Additionally, there are worries that DEPA may not be administered consistently across different industries and jurisdictions, which would diminish its efficacy and increase citizen confusion.
- To realise the potential benefits of DEPA and lessen the risks, the tool must be used in a transparent, reliable, and secure manner. To do this, it will be important for the government, corporate community, civil society, and other stakeholders to work closely together to establish clear and applicable laws and standards.
- It must be determined whether advancements in financial inclusion and successful UPI implementation in India can be successfully replicated in other industries such as healthcare and agriculture. In addition to enhancing access to healthcare, particularly in remote and rural areas, digital technologies can also assist farmers increase their income and level of independence.
About data sovereignty:
- The significance of the data sovereignty issue has increased. Data sovereignty is the ability of a country to control the gathering, storing, and use of data within its borders. It also refers to the informational autonomy of citizens over their own data.
- India has made progress in data sharing and data governance with the establishment of the India Data Management Office (IDMO). The IDMO is tasked with overseeing and coordinating the implementation of India’s digital plans and data governance framework in order to ensure that these activities are consistent with the country’s goals and values. It will also support the development and application of open-source solutions, helping to ensure that underlying data architectures are a social public good and promoting the accessibility and affordability of digital technology. Once more, India has enormous potential to provide solutions that other countries can use and modify. Open source and open innovation techniques are alternatives to the proprietary solutions governed by large IT businesses, and they can be very beneficial.
- In this context, a number of analysts have urged for the opening of data “silos” in order to realise the potential advantages of data sharing among governmental organisations, companies, and individuals. While some data silos might be opened to allow information access and promote public involvement, other data silos might jeopardise security and trust.
- Revealing private information can have harmful repercussions on individuals as well as society as a whole since it can lead to bias, exclusion, and other unforeseen bad outcomes. India must therefore choose a medium ground between strict data sovereignty and unrestricted data flow, and decide which data can be shared and used by whom for what objectives.
- India must balance the interests of all parties involved, including governments, corporations, and individuals, as well as respect and protect the fundamental right to privacy, in order to achieve sustainable growth.
- It is essential to create clear, transparent, and accountable data governance policies and regulations as well as the necessary digital infrastructure and expertise to guarantee that data is gathered, stored, and used in a responsible, secure, and accountable manner in order to achieve a resilient data governance regime.
- There are valid reasons for scepticism that must be taken into account, even while advancements in UPI and financial inclusion indicate promise for, among other things, data flow to other parts of the India Stack (such as in health and agriculture). Digital public goods, application interfaces, and the promotion of digital inclusion are all provided via the integrated software platform known as India Stack. The problems with digital infrastructure, privacy protection, data security, and responsible data governance must be solved before these innovations can be fully realised in other businesses.
Conclusion:
- The creation and implementation of the India Stack must be in line with India’s bigger development goals. This will help to ensure that data governance is in keeping with the country’s values and priorities and will support rather than hinder the development of a secure, more egalitarian, and trustworthy digital future for all. India has a unique opportunity to design and implement a data governance system that might operate as a model for other countries in this area.