Data curbs: US tech giants plan pushback

NEW DELHI: India’s plan to regulate “non-personal” data has jolted US tech giants Amazon, Facebook and Google, and a group representing them is preparing to push back against the proposals, according to officials and a letter seen by Reuters.

A government-appointed panel in July recommended setting up a regulator for information that is anonymised or devoid of personal details but critical for firms to build their businesses. The panel proposed a mechanism for firms to share data with other entities - even competitors - saying this would spur the digital ecosystem. But the Us-india Business Council (USIBC), part of the US chamber of commerce, calls imposed data sharing “anathema” to promoting competition and says this undermines investments made by companies to process and collect such information, according to a draft letter for the Indian government.

“USIBC and the US Chamber of Commerce are categorically opposed to mandates that require the sharing of proprietary data,” says the USIBC’S previously unreported letter, which is likely to be completed and submitted in coming weeks to India’s IT ministry.