Right to Privacy in Digital Technology Act: Issues and Policy in India

Abstract

The privacy of individuals, with the advent of digital technology and information age, has brought several new issues to the fore. Most countries in the world are facing this problem, as they are finding it difficult to strike a balance among the interests of citizens, government, national security, businesses and the corporate sector. The revolutionary growth of digital technology has led to violations of the right to privacy of individuals, which governments have been finding difficult to address. Underlying complexities are growing, given the dynamism of technology and the slowness of legal evolution, as the two are not able to keep pace. Individuals are at the mercy of the state and its agencies, which severely undermines democracy and the democratic ethos of the social, psychological and economic lives of citizens. India is no exception to the problem. Hence, the author has endeavoured to explore the concept of privacy and its changing dimensions, along with legal and policy responses within India.