In a significant step towards safeguarding digital privacy and personal data in India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology convened the first-ever Digital India Dialogue on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDPA”) on September 20, 2023. This dialogue brought together various industry stakeholders to discuss the practical aspects of implementing the DPDPA, including the timeline and the roadmap for enforcement.
Recognizing the diversity in the level of digitization and data protection compliance maturity among organizations, the Ministry is considering a graded approach to compliance with the DPDPA.
In addition to considering the type of organisation, the Ministry is also contemplating an approach for graded compliance based on the substantial engineering efforts required to implement certain DPDPA provisions. For instance, those entities mandated under the law to obtain verifiable parental consent for handling personal data of children (under 18 years), may be allowed more time for compliance.
In conclusion, the Ministry's intent is crystal clear – to swiftly advance with the implementation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. This includes the formation of the Data Protection Board of India, the rule-making process, and the enforcement of the DPDPA. Organizations are encouraged to expedite their preparations to ensure compliance with this upcoming legislation.