Does the Internet Need the Government?

 

Data comes with two extremes of itself. At times it can act as one of the most powerful assets, or it could act as a vulnerable tool, in contemporary times, data sharing plays a predominant role, with the associated risk of unconsciously or subconsciously exposing our confidential information like: information related to finances, health, location, frequently visited spots, contacts, etc.  With recent developments, biometrics has been introduced as our digital identities across the globe. There have been several instances of cyber wars, internet site blocking, and online snooping of customer information by government agencies of countries such as the U.S., Egypt, China, Syria, and India, which raises serious data privacy concerns.

ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) came into existence in 1998, is a US-based not-for-profit organization, which coordinates, the global internet’s system unique identifiers, and ensures the secure running of these systems.

Several Disagreements over the administration of the Internet governed by a multilateral treaty and not unilaterally under the control of the U.S have taken place, since it's perceived by many governments as an instrument of American dominion.

Governments often pursue legislation, governance, policies, in a way sometimes not effectively putting the needs of an individual at priority. During the lock down, as we stepped into the virtual world, and lost physical contact with one another, we all tried to stay connected, virtually, but in this battle of ours with the changing times; didn’t we put a lot of our confidential information at risk?

As per the Indian government’s data, 1.16 million cyber security cases (a 3x spike from the previous year) were recorded, Cyber attacks imperil national security. In May 2021, a cyber attack on systems at an airline data service provider resulted in the release of confidential data of 4.5 million passengers of the airline. During that point in time, the Personal Identifiable Information and results of 190,000 candidates for the 2020 Common Admission Test were leaked. In April 2021, a million credit card records and details of 180 million pizza orders taken, including customers’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses were leaked.

Some Legal Frameworks
The National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP), a policy framework by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) was enacted by the Government of India in 2013, which had laid down different approaches to deal with security threats concerning cyberspace. Although several years have passed and limited implementation of the plan has been observed as our country remains amongst the most targeted nations. The lack of a comprehensive cyber security strategy/policy is conspicuous and increases vulnerability.

Information technology (IT Act), 2000 incorporates provisions in regards to cyber security, some of which is punishable under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and in the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules 2014. Several government agencies deal with different aspects of cyber security, cyber investigators work independently for defence services, and state police. Various nations have incorporated a data protection bill successfully, for instance, the California Customer Privacy Act, U.S., GDPR of the European Union.

Conclusion
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad. The Bill seeks to provide for the protection of personal data of individuals and establishes a Data Protection Authority for the same, there should have been active steps taken by the government to pass the same.

We have entered into a space where the regular exchange of data is inevitable, keeping because of the current trend of the cyber-attacks, an active Indulgence of the private sector with the government to ensure safer transactions and taking steps towards renewing cyber security practices is a must, Moreover, the Government’s focused approach towards cyber security preparedness and awareness has the power to be the game changer!
 

By: Anjali Singh (Team Member. WCSF)

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