As the Government prohibits mobile apps from collecting user data amid data privacy issues. There is going to be a “policy on pre-loading of apps on mobile phones.” It is also working to stop push apps that are advertised by handset manufacturers. There is an increasing number of instances of cyber-attacks, phishing, and even data thefts at the hands of some of the well-known and larger internet apps.
Mr.Ankit Chaudhari, CEO and Founder, Aiisma ( Aiisma, an India born data marketplace, rewards users for consensually and anonymously trading their data via the Aiisma App) says, Fair & privacy-centric data collection is at the core of every technology discussion these days. Since applications weren’t, regulators had to step in. Data is the most discussed asset class and limiting non-required access to it will help increase the value for this asset class. As a platform that enables users to take control of their privacy, anonymize individual data & acts as an intermediary enabling monetization of this asset we are glad and support the movement.
The Draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2018 had defined personal data as any data of a natural person that allows direct or indirect identifiability. Further, sensitive personal data has been defined as financial data, biometric data, positive additions such as religious and political beliefs, caste, intersex/transgender status, and official government identifiers like PAN etc.
Ms. Pooja Haldea, Senior Advisor, Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, says, “Government’s efforts to curb collection of unnecessary data by businesses will help promote better privacy practices. Better regulations is a critical lever in pushing companies in this direction. Another way to get businesses to be pro-privacy is to show them the business advantage in practising and communicating better privacy policies. At IntAct, we tested if users can be nudged to be more mindful of their data sharing and whether having better privacy practices be a business advantage for organisations. Our findings have been very encouraging. Behavioural interventions like star ratings that indicate the quality of privacy features and a cool-down period where a user is forced to stay on the privacy policy page for a stipulated time, led to an increase in trust in the platform. This trust in turn increased users’ willingness to share more data. We are seeing a global move towards better privacy practices and Indian businesses should also explore how to make this a competitive advantage.
