India gearing up for Data protection law

Pawan Duggal
Cyber Expert-Supreme Court of India

"May 25th is a historic day as the general data protection law has been implemented in the European Union beginning today. Typically when a country passes a law it is applicable within its territorial boundaries. We in India have the Information Technology Act which applies to entire India but unlike other laws it also applies to people outside India - a person of any nationality in the world cannot violate or contravene the provisions of the act. We did this law 17-18 years back but GDPR has only replicated what we have done in our law. It says that companies outside Europe will have to primarily ensure that the data of European citizens or people residing in Europe are adequately protected. However a clause in the law says it is also going to apply to any company, data controller, data processor located outside the union who is dealing, handling or processing the personal data of any residents of the European Union.”