The government must address concerns over privacy and secrecy of data | The Indian Express

The government must address concerns over privacy and secrecy of data | The Indian Express

Written by Varad Pande, Subhashish Bhadra |Updated: July 31, 2019 11:05:27 am

The writer works at Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focussed on social impact through equity investments and grants, with an emphasis on technology.

The writer works on digital identity with Omidyar Network.

The government must address concerns over privacy and secrecy of data

We believe that with big data comes big responsibility. As demonstrated by Cambridge Analytica and numerous other data breaches, poorly designed systems create risks for individuals, businesses and governments.

One “big idea” that the Survey discusses at length is the creation of a centralised welfare database of citizens that links different government-held data repositories about citizens.

Data, data everywhere, and everyone is taking notice. Not just tech companies and start-ups, but even governments are seeking to utilise the enormous amount of data being generated by the country’s epochal transition to a “Digital India”. The Niti Aayog has laid out a vision for making available anonymised data across sectors. The Economic Survey 2018-19 dedicated an entire chapter to the topic of data — “of the people, by the people, for the people” — making a bold call to harness data as a “public good” in the service of the people.