CII-Tata Communication Centre for Digital Transformation and Protiviti Member Firm for India had jointly collaborated to release a comprehensive survey report on the “State of Data Privacy in India” at the Conference on Data Privacy: Navigating the Future of Data Protection on Friday, 30th of August, 2024.
The Survey Report on State of Data Privacy India was released at the Conference by Dr. Prasad Patibandla, Director-Research and Operations, Centre for Research on Cyber Intelligence and Digital Forensic (CRCIDF), Amit Sinha Roy, Vice President, Global Head of Strategic Alliances, Tata Communications, Sandeep Gupta, Managing Director, Protiviti and Dr Shuktij Singh Rao, Executive Director, CII Digital.
It is amongst the first in-depth studies since the enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, offering critical insights into data privacy practices, challenges, and perceptions across organisations in India.
“The “State of Data Privacy in India” survey report, launched today by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Protiviti, represents a pivotal step in India’s digital evolution. Released at a crucial juncture following the enactment of the DPDP Act, 2023, the report offers a detailed overview of the current data privacy landscape in the country. India’s data privacy laws have seen significant progress, beginning with the Information Technology Act of 2000, which laid the foundation for data protection. As the demand for comprehensive privacy regulations grew, the Data Protection Bill 2019 was introduced. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act marks a key milestone, emphasising critical aspects such as user consent, data minimisation, and accountability. By addressing individual rights and organisational duties, the DPDP Act supports strong data privacy practices in the digital era.” said Dr. Prasad Patibandla, Director-Research and Operations, Centre for Research on Cyber Intelligence and Digital Forensic (CRCIDF)
The report emphasizes upon how companies are navigating the complex landscape of data privacy, highlighting their successes and the hurdles they face. Coming at a crucial moment, it offers organisations the guidance that they need to align with best practices and regulatory requirements while maintaining the confidence of their stakeholders.
Speaking on the release of the report, Dr Shuktij Singh Rao, Executive Director, CII Digital said that “We are at a pivotal moment in the digital era where data privacy is not just a regulatory requirement but a fundamental aspect for building market equity. With the enactment of the DPDP Act, 2023, the country continues to navigate the digital transformation journey. I am confident that insights from this report will serve as a crucial resource for decision-makers and privacy professionals for advancing data privacy in India.”
Elaborating on the significance of the report, Sandeep Gupta, Managing Director, Protiviti, stated that, “While at an overall measure we are moving up the data privacy scale, there remain substantive concerns on transparency, with 82% survey participants believing that companies are either not fully transparent or only partially transparent in their data handling practices. This highlights the need for stronger privacy governance, resource allocation, and technology adoption to navigate the evolving data privacy landscape.”
Amit Sinha Roy, Vice President, Global Head of Strategic Alliances, Tata Communications Ltd said that “The report goes beyond presenting findings, by providing actionable recommendations for organisations to enhance their data privacy posture. These are designed to help decision-makers, privacy professionals, and stakeholders take proactive steps to advance data privacy practices within their organisations”.
The survey gathered responses from over 240 organisations across various industry sectors, encompassing insights from senior management, middle management, and operational staff. It covers key aspects of data privacy, including perception and awareness, key drivers influencing privacy, privacy governance, privacy program maturity, and the adoption of technology.
The Conference on Data Privacy: Navigating the Future of Data Protection witnessed the presence of eminent stakeholders from industry deliberate upon the challenges and implementation needs, building digital trust with consumers, role of privacy enhancing technologies for compliance and elevating trust impact of privacy on emerging technologies ( AI, IOT, 5G, AR/VR etc) and privacy by design towards integrating privacy into the development and operation of IT systems and business practices.