New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is seeking feedback from industry stakeholders before finalising its proposal to reduce the time companies have to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act rules, a senior government official said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ICANN85 Public Meeting, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said consultations with industry representatives are underway regarding the proposal to shorten the compliance period. He noted that the government will make a decision only after receiving detailed inputs from stakeholders.
The ministry is considering reducing the implementation timeline for significant data fiduciaries, large entities that process substantial volumes of personal data, from 18 months to 12 months. The proposal has gained traction partly because many multinational technology companies already comply with strict global privacy regimes such as the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, prompting discussions on whether the rollout in India can be accelerated.
Krishnan also addressed questions about reports that the Government of Karnataka may consider restricting social media access for children under the age of 16. He said the Centre has not yet examined the proposed legislation and emphasised that matters involving social media platforms or online gaming generally fall within the Union government’s domain.
The Centre will review the proposal once the legislation details are available and determine whether it falls within the state government’s jurisdiction.
Responding to concerns about the blocking of entire websites, the official said such actions are carried out under existing legal provisions and regulatory frameworks. Authorities examine specific cases individually and take action accordingly.
Krishnan also underlined the importance of India playing an active role in global internet governance. With the country now having over one billion internet users, he said that participation in international platforms such as ICANN meetings helps India engage with governments, technical communities, civil society organisations, academia, and industry representatives within a multi-stakeholder framework.
He added that India’s priorities in internet governance include expanding access and ensuring the internet becomes more inclusive.
This involves enabling connectivity for more users across the country and making digital services available in multiple Indian languages so that linguistic barriers do not restrict internet access.
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