The Indian government is set to hold a second round of consultations with policy experts and industry stakeholders on May 3 to draft the Digital India Act (DIA). The act aims to bolster India’s position as a key player in the global digital economy, and discussions are expected to focus on making the bill more inclusive.
The government had previously held the first round of consultations in March with various stakeholders, including industry representatives, social media intermediaries, and consumer groups, to discuss the design and goals of the bill. Since then, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has received several suggestions on how to improve the bill and will meet with stakeholders again to discuss their input.
The Digital India Dialogues: Pre-Introduction Stage Discussions
For the first time, the Indian government is engaging with stakeholders on the design, architecture, and goals of a bill before it is introduced. This is being done as part of the Digital India Dialogues, which aims to make the DIA more inclusive and effective.
The proposed DIA bill is expected to help India achieve its goal of becoming a trillion-dollar digital economy and a trusted player in the global value chains for digital products, platforms, and solutions. The IT ministry aims to create a law that is adaptable and consistent with changing market trends and technological disruptions, while also prioritizing the protection of digital citizens from user harm.
Protecting Citizens’ Rights and Adjudicating Digital Offences
The proposed legislation aims to manage the complexities of the Internet and the rapid expansion of intermediaries, address emerging technology risks, protect citizen rights, and establish guardrails for the varied intermediaries on the Internet. The new law is also expected to establish a dedicated adjudicatory mechanism for online civil and criminal offenses, such as cyberstalking, trolling, phishing, and doxing, amongst others.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, highlighted the importance of the DIA in ensuring that the internet remains a force for good, even as it becomes increasingly vulnerable to various forms of user harm.
As India continues to build its digital economy, the DIA will play a crucial role in ensuring that the country remains at the forefront of technological innovation and digital inclusion.
