India must come up with robust data protection laws: Prasad

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SME Times News Bureau | 05 Aug, 2017
India needs robust data protection laws and the government is keen on the issue, said Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Prasad said the country should have a framework that safeguards data properly and also enables its use for growth and development.

"As India has written a lot of discourse on internet governance the world over, I am very keen that India must come up with robust data protection laws that can become a beacon for the rest of the world," he said.

Prasad referred to his ministry's move this week to constitute an experts committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice B.N. Srikrishna, to suggest a draft Data Protection Bill and identify key data protection issues.

He said Aadhaar has very safe digital identity. "In that connection, we are very keen that India's data protection laws become model law for developing countries," he added.

Prasad said he has flagged the issue at international fora that internet should be safe and secure for it to be inclusive.

He said internet is a fine creation of human mind and should not become monopoly of a few. "If internet has to be global, it must have linkage with the local," he said, adding that India's digital initiatives also talk about digital inclusion.

"These formulations are finding an echo the world over," the Minister said.