Government Unveils Draft Rules for Digital Data Protection: Key Insights

The government released the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules lacking penal action for violations. These include provisions for explicit consent from individuals and parental consent for children. Data fiduciaries must adhere to technical measures, while penalties remain pending. Public consultations will precede finalization by February 18.

The government has released the much-anticipated draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, notably omitting any specified penalties for compliance breaches.

These rules, following the approval of the Digital Data Protection Bill 2023 over a year ago, outline mechanisms for procuring explicit consent from individuals and mandate parental consent for children's data handling.

Data fiduciaries, such as e-commerce and social media platforms, are expected to adopt stringent measures to verify and maintain consent, though penalties for violations, as outlined in the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, await inclusion. This draft is open for public feedback until February 18 on the MyGov website.

(With inputs from agencies.)