Lost in the Data Localization Debate: Does India Have Full Power to Exploit Its Own Data?

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In The Media

Carnegie India

Lost in the Data Localization Debate: Does India Have Full Power to Exploit Its Own Data?

The Narendra Modi government wants to reportedly water down the provisions related to data localization proposed in the draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 formulated by the Justice Srikrishna Committee.

By Anirudh Burman

Published on Oct 25, 2019

Source: Print

The Narendra Modi government wants to reportedly water down the provisions related to data localisation proposed in the draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 formulated by the Justice Srikrishna Committee.

The debate on the free-flow and storage of data has assumed significance in the wake of technological developments – such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) – that can harness data to provide better and cheaper services to consumers. The debate on data localisation is now not only a political one, but also a geopolitical one, and a key aspect of trade talks between India and other countries like the US. However, it is important to examine and analyse whether localisation, as defined in the data protection bill, would actually meet its underlying objectives.

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This article was originally published by the Print.

About the Author

Anirudh Burman

Former Associate Research Director and Fellow, Carnegie India

Anirudh Burman was an associate research director and fellow at Carnegie India. He works on key issues relating to public institutions, public administration, the administrative and regulatory state, and state capacity.

Recent Work

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Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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