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News >> Technology >>
BPOs soon to have self-regulatory body
By agencies
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Thursday, 14 July 2005, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI: The BPO industry will soon have a self-regulatory body to monitor security and data privacy. To be modeled on the lines of direct marketing association (DMA), its structure is expected to be ready in 4-6 months.
Though government nominees are said to be on board, plans are to create an independent body. Aimed at clearing the air after the recent security breach reported in Indian call centers, the new entity will go beyond technical specs being checked in international certifications like BS 7799.
The differentiator will be an emphasis on softer aspects like how to make employees sensitive to the security of customer data.
Concerns over security and privacy of data being framed out to outsourcing firms in India are snowballing into a crisis, and even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to step in to assure the global community after the alleged sale of classified information by a call center employee, Karan Bahree.
Nasscom research head Sunil Mehta confirmed that, the regulatory body is envisaged to evolve into a fully independent entity later. We expect law firms to be on board within a week or two, and the guidelines outlining its structure should be out in three to four months, confirmed.
The guidelines will then be circulated among BPO companies before the self-regulatory body is finally formed.
Besides the technical specifications, the new entity will check if a chief privacy officer is on board and what notifications are in place in case of a security breach. It will also mandate internal committees to ensure that email and access to internal network are disabled immediately after an employee quits.
One of the biggest concerns of the U.S. and European firms outsourcing jobs to India is data security and privacy, as some of them transfer sensitive data on taxation, healthcare and credit cards. The recent episodes of alleged sale of British customers data and siphoning of Citibank customers money by Indian call center employees have brought the issues into the limelight.