PAI: IT FIRMS TO GET A BIG BOOST FROM NORMS

Bengaluru, July 30: IT veteran T.V. Mohandas Pai has said the Srikrishna Panel recommendations, if implemented, will give a big boost to Indian IT services companies as their global clients’ concerns about giving data access would “diminish.”

“The report has one big benefit. Our globally competitive and dominant IT services companies will get a big boost. For many years, there was concern among their global clients about giving access to their data as India did not have a data privacy law. With a new law this concern will diminish,” he told PTI.

Mr Pai said all three big issues — data ownership and use, data privacy and data residency — have been addressed in the recommendations.

He also said the issue concerning mandatory storing of data in India as suggested by the panel, is enforcement and regulation via a Data Protection Authority.

“The report suggests data residency of all private sensitive data to be located in India, a person’s data will be his or her personal property and cannot be used by anybody without prior explicit permission. The big issue is enforcement and regulation for which a data protection authority is suggested with powers to penalise and prosecute,” he said.

Mr Pai lauded the panel for suggesting amendments to the Aadhaar Act to make it more stringent, which gives teeth to protect privacy.

— PTI