Go beyond data localisation

Indian laws should apply regardless of where it is located

The recent Supreme Court ruling affirming that the right to privacy is indeed a fundamental right has naturally led to a review of the common practices regarding personal data of Indian citizens. That, in turn, has highlighted many grey areas pertaining to data protection. The court has constituted a five-member constitutional bench to consider the matter. It has also sent notices to several internet and social media companies, including multinational giants such as Google, Twitter, Facebook and its subsidiary, WhatsApp. These firms were asked to outline the practices regarding the collection, storage and usage of data of Indian users. In