Digital platforms need to be responsive to concerns of soverign nations: Ravi Shankar Prasad takes swipe at China

Without naming China, IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took a swipe at the neighbouring country on Wednesday by saying that digital platforms need to be responsive, accountable, and sensitive to the concerns of sovereign nations as far as safety, defence and privacy are concerned.

The Minister was addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial meeting through video conference.

India recently banned 59 Chinese linked apps citing threats to national security and privacy.

"Data must belong to the sovereign nation concerned to protect the privacy and digital concerns of its people," said in his first address in Global platform after the government decision to ban on neighbourng country mobile application.

"Data is very important for the growth of the digital economy and there is a need to balance different aspects such as innovation, enterprise & safety regarding this," he said.

A trustworthy AI can never emerge unless there is a trustworthy digital ecosystem. Therefore, data safety and security and a safe cyber environment are very important issues, the Minister said.

Explaining how India has managed the COVID-19 crisis far better than many other countries, he said "The bold decision of the Prime Minister to go for an early nationwide lockdown helped in the country in curbing the spread of the virus as well as prepare for the upcoming challenges effectively."

Emphasising the need for building a resilient global supply chain, Prasad shared the PM Narendra Modi's vision for making India an attractive destination for investment closely integrated with global supply chains.

The Minister also said India is soon going to put in place a robust personal data protection law that will not only address the data privacy-related concerns of citizens but also ensure the availability of data for innovation and economic development.