DPDP Act: The government will not make any changes in the wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 and will soon give detailed information in response to questions raised by journalists and civil rights groups. Civil rights and journalist organizations say that this law can weaken the Right to Information (RTI) Act and affect the freedom of the press.
The government will not make any changes in the wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 and will soon share detailed information in response to questions raised by journalists and civil rights groups. An official source gave this information on Friday.
Civil rights and journalist organizations on Wednesday expressed concern about this law, as its provisions could affect the Right to Information (RTI) Act and harm the freedom of the press. Government sources said that since the DPDP Act has been passed in Parliament, no change is possible in it now. Rules are being made that will be within the scope of this law. The government said that the DPDP Act and its draft rules have been prepared after thousands of suggestions received from many sources.
The government will also soon release a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Senior congress leader jairam ramesh on sunday criticized the removal of a provision from the RTI Act that gave citizens the right to information equal to MLAs. He urged Information technology Minister ashwini Vaishnav to withdraw this amendment.
Vaishnav, while responding to jairam ramesh, said that the personal information that is disclosed under government rules will continue to be disclosed under the RTI Act. Supreme Court lawyer and convenor of the Judicial Reforms Group prashant bhushan alleged that this law amends the RTI Act, which will stop the sharing of personal information without consent.
Civil rights groups say that this provision weakens the RTI Act and prevents journalists and whistleblowers from exposing the names of corrupt officials. In an open letter, former high court judge A P Shah said Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act replaces the limited exemption in Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act with a much broader provision that empowers government officials to deny information because it is “personal”, whether it is in the public interest or not.
Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convener of the National Right to Information Campaign, said the RTI Act gives people the right to know the status of their files, obtain information on contractors of public projects, and check on scheme beneficiaries. But the ban on personally identifiable information under the DPDP Act could put a stop to all this. Bhardwaj said the law has no special exemption for journalists, which was clear in earlier drafts. If exemptions are not provided for journalists in the rules, press freedom will be in danger.
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