‘Working for right balance in handling digital issues’
The government’s focus on handling digital matters is finding the right balance between ease of doing business, privacy and national security at a time when people are becoming more aware about how their data is being processed and handled, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.
In his opening address at the Global Technology Summit 2022, Jaishankar said India shouldn’t limit its possibilities in the fast-changing field of emerging technology solely because of the country’s “difficult experiences” of the past due to sanctions imposed by the US.
He pointed out that the US is now the “most forceful advocate” for India joining crucial arrangements such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
“What the Indian system today is doing is trying to find a balance between ease of doing business on the digital side, privacy and national security. They
have to find the...right mix,” Jaishankar said.
There is a draft legislation on which there will be debates and discussions, including in Parliament, and while people will have their views, the government’s endeavour will be to get the right balance, he said. People are more aware about issues regarding how their data is being stored and who processes it, and this increases the importance of trusted and transparent partners, he added.
Jaishankar referred to India’s “difficult experiences” due to sanctions imposed after the nuclear test of 1974 and said the country’s possibilities in the field of technology will be limited if all decision-making is swayed by developments of the past.