Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said that the government will come up with a strong data protection law which will set a global benchmark. (PTI)

Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said that the government will come up with a strong data protection law which will set a global benchmark. He was speaking at a session organised by Biju Janata Dal MP Baijayant Panda on privacy and data protection said,”We will come up with data protection law that will set a global benchmark like the way we have done for Aadhaar.”

Here are things to know:

1) A committee has been formed to give a proper report on data utility, and data availability. As per PTI report, Prasad said,”That committee is to give a report in coming three months. I want to assure you that we respect data sovereignty of Indians but we also appeal to Indians that your data must be made available also for legitimate concerns, legitimate interest and for development of India.”

2) Prasad said that India’s digital economy will be $1 trillion and in the next 5-7 years as per the stakeholders of economy, it will become $2 trillion.”The projection is 50-75 lakh jobs will be created only in digital economy in coming 5-7 years apart from giving taxes,” Prasad said, as per PTI report. The report added the IT minister as saying, digital transactions increased from 3,700 per day in November 2016 to 54 lakh per day in 2017.

3) Prasad said that “The reason why I very briefly gave the(information on) whole digital ecosystem is how should we go forward? Should we go forward in the name of privacy to kill it? Should we stop it or should we not stop it? That is indeed a challenge.”

4) He said the information technology revolution is also to be respected, accelerated and in this larger framework issue of privacy has to be considered. “In a strict sense, in a conservative sense…since I am also law minister and the matter is pending (before court), I will be guarded in my comment but in a strict sense what you do in your house is your privacy,” Prasad said.

5) Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the Supreme Court’s judgement Right to privacy is not an absolute right, PTI reported. He said,”On behalf of the government we also said it (privacy) is not an absolute right but part of Article 21.” The IT minister quoted from the apex courts judgement and said that, Like the right to life and liberty, privacy is not absolute. The limitations which operate on the right to life and personal liberty would operate on the right to privacy.