Missing the big picture

Draft e-commerce policy goes overboard on data protection

The new draft e-commerce policy, issued on Saturday, is focused more on privacy of data and promoting Indian businesses than on enabling the growth of an industry that has caught the imagination of an entire generation and more. But the over-emphasis on India’s right to own Indian data and restricting its free flow may take away from the primary objective of having a vision statement for e-commerce. Pegged at around $40 billion, e-commerce, excluding travel and tourism, is projected to grow to $200 billion by 2026 in the country. With e-commerce holding a single-digit market share in the $860-billion retail