NEW DELHI:India’s information technology minister on Wednesday withdrew a data protection bill which was first proposed in 2019 and alarmed big tech companies.
A government notice stated New Delhi was taking the decision as a parliamentary panel’s review of the bill had suggested 81 amendments, leading to the need for a new “comprehensive legal framework”.
“Considering the (panel’s) report … a comprehensive legal framework is being worked upon,” the government notice stated. The Indian government will now “present a new bill,” it added.
The privacy bill was designed to protect Indian citizens and establish a so-called data protection authority, but it had raised concerns among Big Tech giants that it could increase their compliance burden and data storage requirements.
