Parl panel pitches for more security of online payments

Worried over online fraud, a parliamentary panel has sought IT ministry's response on the security of online cash transaction in a meeting on Thursday.

The parliamentary panel has asked IT ministry whether online cash transaction servers by RBI should run on a single switch or multiple switches should be used to host the transactions all day.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur also sought written response from the IT ministry regarding the steps taken in the last four years for the capacity building of the police force and skills training of government departments to protect the privacy of citizens online.

This is the second written response that the parliamentary committee has sought from the IT ministry on the issue of data security within a month. Earlier in the panel's last meeting on April 19, Thakur had asked the Ministry of Information and Technology to come out with a written reply on issues over data security within ten days.

Pitching for stronger security mechanisms for data security, the panel batted for greater freedom for Indian users against compulsory signing up of 'Terms of Consent' agreement.

It flagged that there is an urgent need to simplify this, instead of forcing users to tick every box while installing an application. It also asked why the social media and IT Companies have not simplified their 'Terms of Use' and 'Privacy Policy' to make it transparent for the end user instead of forcing the viewers to go through technical jargons.

As Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and some other senior officials of the ministry briefed the panel on the subject of citizens' data security and privacy, the panel also asked them to define terms such as 'hacking', 'malware attack' and 'data breach' for general use.

Amid the spotlight on Aadhaar security, the committee is also learned to have asked the ministry officials as to whether distributing the Aadhaar data lead to greater protection and whether the government would consider using blockchain technology with Aadhaar to better protect the movement of citizens data.