Over 820 million internet users deserve to have their own way to decide what kind of internet they want
India Stack is open for Global South: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Asserting that India did not have to follow any other country or global practice for its policy making on the future of Internet, the Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said that over 820 million internet users deserve to have their own way to decide what kind of internet they want.
“European GDPR is considered a gold standard for privacy and data protection. But we would like to disagree. With more than 820 million internet users, we have the largest presence on global internet and deserve an opportunity to shape our own destiny. We will chart our own course and build a framework suitable for us,” Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, participating in a moderated session along with UAE Minister H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama at the India Global Forum held in Dubai, UAE today.
Speaking about the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill that is now open for consultations, the Minister said, “Protecting the digital rights of our citizens is an obligation of the Government. But we do not see this as a binary at the expense of slowing down the ecosystem for innovation that exists in India and in partnerships with other countries.”
He said the Government would not strongly regulate the internet but is committed to the principles of open, safe and trusted and accountable internet.
Referring to the India Stack, Shri Chandrasekhar said that India Stack has helped build trust between the government and its citizens. It has removed bottlenecks and ensured transfer of governments funds to beneficiaries easy. The India Stack is open for other countries to adopt too. It represents an opportunity for Global South or countries that have not been able to afford the digitalisation to rapidly climb up the ladder of digitalisation, he added.
Commending India for India Stack, H.E Omar Sultan Al Olama said, “India did not emulate anyone. They created their own path that many others are emulating. That a country the size of India was able to implement something that cutting edge in less than a decade, I cannot state how incredible that is.”
Earlier in a chat with television channel NDTV at the IGF, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said "misinformation is being weaponised" and cited issues of user harm like cyber bullying would be addressed by the Digital India Act that will supersede the IT Act.
“Given the proliferation of clouds and the borderless nature of Internet, the data flow across geographical boundaries is almost like a given. We will identify trusted geographies or ‘trust corridors’ where data can be stored and processed to ensure that data of all Indians are protected,” he said.
