Chennai: India’s two-decade-old Information Technology Act is now dated, and a “new digital law” – that takes into account things like citizens’ right to privacy – is needed to keep pace with the times, said union minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

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Speaking at Nasscom’s annual event India Leadership Forum 2022 on Wednesday, Chandrasekhar added that people are waking up to the importance of privacy over just choosing convenience.

He also cautioned that any new law should not be rigid and too focused on the present. Rather, it should be flexible and open to wide interpretation, given the evolving nature of the technology space. He also said that the regulations should not put excessive compliance burdens on startups. “It is important to get the next bit of legislation very right in terms of its ability to be flexible and evolvable,” he said.

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Chandrasekhar also said it is essential to ensure that the world sees Indian cyberspace as safe and that there is predictability in jurisprudence. “[With] what we are proposing with the new digital law… we will set the bar in terms of what jurisprudence around the internet should be like,” he said.

Chandrasekhar also said that India must be part of the global digital economy. As an open democracy, and owing to the open nature of the internet, data will flow between jurisdictions and countries, he said. But, he added, other safety measures could be created to protect the privacy of Indian consumers.

“There is no such thing as being an island of safety and harmony and tranquillity in cyberspace,” he said. “That just does not exist. India must take the lead (in terms of formulating laws). We are the largest connected market in the world. And even if you want to include China, we are still one of the largest markets and one of the largest connected democracies in the world. We have a lot to teach the world in terms of how we manage digitisation, increase digital adoption, inclusion and access to all, and at the same time ensure that the internet is safe, trusted, open and accountable.”

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