Govt takes down draft data anonymisation rules


By MYBRANDBOOK


Govt takes down draft data anonymisation rules

A draft document listing guidelines for the anonymisation of data was unexpectedly removed from the IT ministry’s website, leading to the criticism from civil society groups about the government’s apparent “disregard” for the consultation process.

 

Anonymisation refers to the removal or modification of data, such as Aadhaar numbers and addresses, so that individuals cannot be identified from it.

 

The IT Ministry said, “The guidelines were taken down since we wanted to send it for further ministerial evaluation. This is not new since such processes existed in the past as well. We will put it back again once the due process is followed. We are following the process of consultation as well, but it is only after a thorough ministerial evaluation that we can put it forward for wider discussions.”

 

The draft identified some of the main reasons as to why a blueprint for data anonymisation must exist. “Unauthorised access, disproportionate surveillance, identity theft, financial frauds, blackmail and extortion using personal information, 360-degree profiling are some of the emerging challenges for society at large. In addition, large-scale data breaches are rampant and present a significant challenge that requires attention from all stakeholders,” it read.

 

Responding to the criticism, the ministry sources said, “These guidelines are a part of a larger data privacy ecosystem. Every aspect of this is important to us and this is not a first step towards the legislation. The legislation is independent of these guidelines and has no relation.”

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