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Arjun Goswami

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Director and head of the Public Policy Practice at the Delhi - NCR office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. He has a rich experience in advising public sector and private sector clients on policy issues related to ESG, Infrastructure, Technology and Finance. He can be reached at arjun.goswami@cyrilshroff.com.

RegTech and Digital Public Infrastructure: Navigating Compliance in India’s Digital Landscape

The rapid advancement of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (“DPI”) – exemplified by initiatives such as Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface (“UPI”), and DigiLocker – has reshaped the nation’s digital ecosystem. This DPI has created transformative efficiencies, enabling streamlined interactions between citizens, businesses, and government services. However, as India solidifies its digital-first approach, regulatory challenges around data privacy, user consent, and cybersecurity have surged, demanding robust compliance mechanisms. Regulatory Technology (“RegTech”)  is emerging as a solution to these complex regulatory demands, leveraging automation to help entities comply with the country’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023[1] (“DPDP Act”), among other regulations.Continue Reading RegTech and Digital Public Infrastructure: Navigating Compliance in India’s Digital Landscape

Fighting Cybercrime: Global UN Convention on the Anvil

Introduction

Member states of the United Nations approved the draft text of the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime (‘Draft Convention’) by consensus, in August 2024, after five years of deliberations. It is the UN’s first consolidated attempt at regulating crimes on the internet. The move has attracted its fair share of controversy, with tech companies and human rights organisations protesting against the lack of safeguards.Continue Reading Fighting Cybercrime: Global UN Convention on the Anvil

Need for Syncing Sectoral Regulations with Data Protection Law

Cutting across sectors and borders, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA or Act), a lean, principles-based, horizontal legislation was enacted in August 2023 (yet to come into effect). Given the substantive procedural aspects under the Act being left for delegated legislation, the first set of rules is expected to be released for public consultation within 100 (hundred days) of the end of the ongoing General Elections,[1] if the incumbent government is re-elected.Continue Reading Need for Syncing Sectoral Regulations with Data Protection Law

Background

The European Court of Justice (“CJEU”) in mid-2023 passed a landmark judgment in Meta Platforms Inc. v. Bundeskartellamt[1], by imposing strict restrictions on social media entities using personal data of consumer’s for targeting them with personalised advertisements through their platforms. This ruling struck at the core revenue model of many big technology organisations.   Continue Reading The Great Reset: What Lies in Store for Targeted Advertising?  

Children and consent under the Data Protection Act: A Study in Evolution

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023[1] (“Act”) has, at long last, been past before both houses of Parliament and been published in the official Gazette upon receiving Presidential assent.

The Act is intended to provide legislative expression to the contours of the right to privacy as outlined by the Supreme Court of India in the Puttaswamy Judgements[2] and since then, by other constitutional Courts. The principle, which now stands more or less crystallized, is that the autonomy of a person is inalienably linked to their autonomy over their personal data. Therefore, in a regime which continues to be firmly consent based, the questions of who is a child, who can consent to allowing their personal data to be collected, as well as what can and cannot be done with it, are key to their status as ‘Digital Nagariks’ in years to come.Continue Reading Children and Consent under the Data Protection Act: A Study in Evolution

Of Consent and Lawful Uses: Where the Rubber meets the Road

While the concept of consent, in consonance with the current consent based regime under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”)[1] as well as the constitutional primacy of consent and autonomy under various court decisions dealing with the right to information privacy has remained firmly entrenched as the primary basis for collection and processing of personal data under the various drafts of general personal data protection legislation in India over the years,[2] the newly notified Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“Act”)[3]also provides for “legitimate use” as key additional basis available to Data Fiduciaries[4] for collection and processing of personal data[5].Continue Reading Of Consent and Lawful Uses:Where the Rubber meets the Road

A Fine Balance: The DPDA and Data Localization

On November 18, 2022, when the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“MEITY”) tabled an entirely new draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 (“Draft”)[1], the concerns around one section, namely Section 17 dealing with cross-border data transfers, were perhaps more pronounced than the shock which accompanied the withdrawal of a long debated previous draft.Continue Reading A Fine Balance:The DPDA and Data Localization

Preparing for the DPDA

PREPARING FOR THE DPDA

In the culmination of a decade long process,[1] the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 (“Bill”)[2] was passed before the Lok Sabha on August 7, 2023.

While the important subject matter of the Bill, its long legislative history, and the widely publicised dissents in the Parliamentary Standing Committee[3] portend that it may not pass unchanged, its enactment seems likely within the next few weeks or months.

Further, given its relatively concise nature and, the limited rulemaking and regulatory framework that is needed to enable it, it seems likely that while the Bill will be brought into force in a phased manner,[4] operative portions of it may come into effect relatively quickly.Continue Reading Preparing for the DPDA

Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 (“Bill”)[1] tabled before Parliament on August 3, 2023 is the culmination of a decade long process for evolving general data protection regime for India.

By withdrawing an elaborate, prescriptive draft which was under consideration by Parliament until 2021, to introducing a new, lean, principles based draft for consultation on November 18, 2022 (“Draft”),[2] and then engaging an extensive consultation process which reportedly involved in excess of 20,000 submissions,[3] and several dozen discussions involving personal participation at the highest levels of the Ministry, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has set the stage for the evolution and adoption of a customized and Indian legislation that seeks to find a balance between enabling ease of doing business, and protecting sovereign imperatives and citizens’ rights, which has proved elusive globally.[4] Continue Reading The DPDP Bill Overview: A New Dawn for Data Protection in India