On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 with a voice vote following a walkout by the opposition members over the Manipur issue. Earlier, the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The bill has provisions to curb the misuse of individuals’ data by online platforms.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the bill lays down obligations on private and government entities around the collection and processing of citizens’ data, adding that the bill has been brought after extensive public consultation.

The bill seeks to protect the privacy of Indian citizens while proposing a penalty of up to Rs 250 crore on entities for misusing or failing to protect the digital data of individuals.

Referring to certain principles on which the bill is based, Vaishnaw said that according to the principle of legality, the data of a person has to be taken based on prevailing laws and cannot be used for the purpose beyond which it has been collected.

The bill came after six years of the Supreme Court declaring “Right to Privacy” as a fundamental right.