Disappointing report

House panel report on data protection Bill has many holes

The Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP) has tabled a 542-page report on the Personal Data Protection Bill after two years of deliberations. It suggests 81 changes and 151 corrections. But the controversial aspects remain, and some recommendations make it even more controversial. Several JCP members belonging to Opposition parties have written dissent notes.

The Bill offers sweeping powers to the government and its agencies to conduct surveillance and collect data for a wide range of purposes, including the catch-all term “security”. Instead of reining in blanket powers, the JCP “feels though the State has rightly been empowered to exempt itself”, that