Tougher IT law for data protection soon
Monday, 16 October 2006, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: Amid a raging debate about the adequacy of data protection laws in India after an exposé by a British channel, the government Monday decided to give more teeth to an IT legislation that will strengthen cyber security and prevent the abuse of privacy by the booming BPO industry. The cabinet approved the amendments proposed in the Information Technology Act, 2000 that stipulate security practices and procedures to be followed by corporates and organizations that ask access to personal information from customers. The bill with proposed amendments will be introduced in the winter session of parliament next month. "Concerns have been raised both within the country as well as by the customers abroad regarding adequacy of data protection and privacy laws in the country," Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "A need is, therefore, felt to strengthen the legislation pertaining to data protection and privacy," he stressed. Underlining the need for updating the IT legislation that was enacted six years ago, the minister also highlighted other forms of computer misuse like video voyeurism, identity theft, e-commerce frauds like online auction sites, sending offensive emails and multimedia offences. The amendments to the IT Act, 2000, seek to address all issues related to cyber security and take into account the mind-boggling changes in the pace of technology. The spotlight turned on India's booming outsourcing business industry after a British channel aired last week a documentary that casts doubts on the integrity of the country's call centers. The documentary purported to expose how the data of thousands of British customers could be stolen and sold by call center employees for as little as $15. NASSCOM, the body representing India's $24 billion IT and outsourcing industry, reacted strongly to the exposé and cited a recent investigation of call centers in India by Britain's Banking Codes Standards Board which show that "customer data (in India) is subject to the same level of security as in the UK". "Security is a number one priority," said the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) president Kiran Karnik in a statement last month. Nasscom has written to the British program makers and asked them to provide details of the allegations "that would have enabled prompt action against the alleged criminals". But the documentary makers refused to cooperate, according to the software body. Nasscom also plan to set up an independent Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) to enforce stricter regulations for data protection in the BPO sector. Besides, the software body also intends to set up cyber labs in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata and would double the number of training police officers in cyber crime investigation from 1,800 to 3,000 in the next one-year.
Source: IANS
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