Cambridge Analytica fiasco has highlighted the risks and challenges in safeguarding privacy and preventing data abuse.
Mandating big foreign tech firms to set up data centres within Indian jurisdiction and nurturing indigenous firms are some possible solutions.
What is the current status?
Vulnerabilities - Recent developments with respect to “Cambridge Analytica” raise some questions on how the Government can protect data.
Although the Government claims data is safe, the sheer massiveness of foreign companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple is menacing.
Notably, the above 4 are the main firms driving big-data technologies in the country and globally and are almost omnipotent in all gadgets.
Government Response - So far, India has shown no signs of doing anything to control them and the data protection law is still in its nascence.
Past experiences haven’t been positive either, and even protocols issues to government departments regarding cyber security are not complied with.
Notably, government departments were asked to not use Gmail for official purposes, and ‘.nic.in’ was promoted instead, but compliance has been tardy.
What is the way ahead?
Data Centres - If Indian data doesn’t remain within India’s borders, it can’t be subject to Indian laws, which makes regulating them really tough.
Data breaches will only expand in future and India is expected to be the centre of expansion for tech giants due its youthful population.
Due to these transgressions, government should ask these tech giants to set up their data centres in India, which won’t be a big investment for them.
Despite the minimal taxes that these firms would face, they’ve refused to set up data centres sighting trivial problems like electricity and land acquisition.
Indigenisation - The Government has also been talking about creating big home grown tech firms, but it’s been years now.
Notably, China has been successful in this domain with firms like “WeChat and Baidu”, to counter international tech giants.
We must back big India-owned e-commerce and mobility players to fight the Amazons and Ubers of the world.
