CAIT urges Goyal to stick to data localization in e-commerce policy

New Delhi, 27 June (KNN) The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in a communication to Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal, has urged that data localisation in proposed e-commerce policy should be adhered to without any compromise.

Secretary General of CAIT, Praveen Khandelwal,  said, “In e-commerce business huge data of consumers is collected at the end of e-commerce players and therefore possibilities of misuse of data cannot be overlooked particularly by MNCs operating e-commerce business in the country. India is the world’s largest consumer market and data assumes much significance”.

Purpose of personal data protection is not only to protect data of a person but to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of those who are related to that. To ensure that personal data is secure, it is important to know what data is being processed, why it is being processed and on what grounds. Data is becoming more and more valuable, he added.

Also, skills and opportunities for retrieving different types of personal data are evolving extremely fast. Unauthorized, careless or ignorant processing of personal data can cause great harm to both person and the economy, Khandelwal added further.

He stated “Not complying with the personal data protection regulations can lead to even harsher situations, and it becomes possible to extract all the money from a person’s bank account or even cause a life-threatening situation by manipulating health information.”

Stressing on the importance of data protection, he asserted that data protection regulations are necessary for ensuring and fair and consumer-friendly commerce and provision of services.

The provision of data localisation is fairly spelled out in the draft of e-commerce policy and therefore it should essentially be made an integral part of e-commerce policy, opined Khandelwal. (KNN/VS)