Data is national asset, it must be protected: SJM

RSS-affiliate the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) said on Sunday that Indian alternatives of payment gateways, social media platforms and service aggregators must be supported and promoted as data sovereignty and data nationalism are the need of the hour.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan described the data generated in the country as a "national asset" and said it should be conserved properly and India must refrain from negotiating data sovereignty at bilateral and multilateral trade talks.

"Data should not only be stored within geographical limits of India, but must also be computed here. Data is a national asset; it may be commercial, strategic or even elementary. Data must be protected," Mahajan said.

Emphasising on the need for data sovereignty, the SJM said digital nationalism is the need of the hour and Indian alternatives for payment gateways, social media platforms, service aggregators must be supported and promoted.

The SJM also advocated India's own computer operating system and said it needs to developed at the earliest.

The government must identify the apps which are gathering unnecessary data and seeking more than required permissions, SJM said and demanded punitive action against such offenders.