Data Protection Bill first step towards new legal framework, says IT minister Chandrasekhar

Frameworks aimed to ensure internet and technology remain open, safe, secure and accountable, the minister said

A new legal framework will start taking shape in the country around technology and internet, and the Data Protection Bill is the first step towards the same, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday.

Chandrasekhar said that digitalisation of the government and public services is going to be "rapid" and soon-to-be-unveiled Digital India 2.0 will seek to accelerate on the gains made over the past few years.

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The government is committed to ensuring that internet and technology remain open, safe, secure and accountable, as 1.2 billion Indians come online in next few years, the minister said.

"A new modern legal framework will start taking shape around technology and internet in the country, the first step of that is the Data Protection Bill that you will see shortly in the next few months. That again poses interesting changes to the overall operating environment," Chandrasekhar said, addressing the valedictory session of Aadhaar 2.0 workshop.

He also supported the need to construct "trusted common digital ID" for every citizen of India.

The minister said issues of national security are "real issues" and so, there will be a growing demand and need for trusted ID and ability to validate citizenship, he said.

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