New law to soon monitor how Facebook, Google, WhatsApp and others use your data

The government will come out with a data protection law to check possible diversion and misuse of private user information by social media and tech giants such as Facebook, Google , Instagram, Amazon, and Apple .
A high-level committee will submit a report on the matter by the end of this year, and subsequent measures will be taken up thereafter, a top source in the IT Ministry said when asked about the efforts on data protection in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to declare individual privacy as a fundamental right.
The government, while being appreciative of the social media platforms in spreading digital literacy and empowerment, is mindful of the potential threats that any data theft may pose, especially as much of this allegedly goes out without any active knowledge of the subscribers.
“We may come out with a new law for data protection, or may have an enabling provision in the existing IT Act,” the source said.
When asked to comment on the matter, IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had this to say: “The tech giants should learn to respect the laws of India.”
There have been widespread concerns that top tech and social media companies have been “profiling” users as they look at ways to monetise subscriber information, or sell them to third parties through private arrangements. The issue has also raised security concerns with reports that most of the data flows into third-party servers which are located outside the country.
And apart from the western tech giants, the government is also concerned about the alleged misuse of user data and information by many Chinese companies, including the maker of mobile phones and also internet companies such as Alibaba’s UC Web Browser.
The source said that the government may not wait for the committee’s recommendation to tackle the threat from Chinese companies. “We will act on any potential threat from Chinese companies as soon as the need arises.”
The issue of data ownership is also being reviewed by telecom regulator Trai which has also released a consultation paper on data ownership. In its consultation paper, ‘Privacy, Security and Ownership of the Data in the Telecom Sector’, Trai has sought views on whether the individuals generating the lucrative data need to have ownership of their information and have a right to access it whenever they seek so.
Aadhar man Nandan Nilekani had recently said that individual citizens should have a right to demand access to and own their digital footprint and data from tech giants as well as the government. He had sought enactment of a law to end “data colonisation” by companies.