Editors Guild for house panel review of Data Bill, tags fears

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Editors Guild of India has raised concerns about the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill, urging the Lok Sabha speaker to send the draft law to a Parliamentary Standing Committee so that some of the issues potentially having a “chilling effect on journalistic activity in the country” could be discussed. The Information Technology ministry has also been urged to reconsider the bill so that access to a free Press, essential to a vibrant democracy, isn’t curbed.

The Guild has raised concerns about the independence of the Data Protection Board (DPB), which is proposed to be constituted by the DPDP Bill tabled in Parliament last week. “Further, the Guild urges the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, to place the bill before the Parliamentary Standing Committee for deliberation on the issues raised, as well as to reconsider those provisions.” The bill is listed for debate on Monday in the Lok Sabha and the government expects to pass it in the current session.

In a statement on Sunday, the Guild said that the DPB has not been provided “independence and rulemaking powers”. “Lawyers, scholars and even judgments of the Supreme Court have noted that Tribunals (such as the Data Protection Board) must remain independent of the control by the executive, to maintain their effectiveness and credibility,” the Guild said, adding that since the DPB had been given powers to impose penalties, ensuring independence of the board from executive interference was “vital to preserve liberty”.

On August 3, union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw introduced the DPDP Bill in the Lok Sabha. As per the new bill, the DPB to be set up has been given advisory powers through which it can recommend to the Centre to either