Introduction:
The Digital India Act was proposed to replace the existing Information Technology Act, 2000. The aim of this act is to provide protection from cyber crimes, online fraud, identity theft, cyber bullying and competition issues and also include data protection, blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the negative impacts of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The act is expected to work with the other statutes and policies such as the Indian Penal Code amended for cyber-crimes (now Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhtia, 2023), the Digital Personal Protection Act, the National Data Governance Policy, and so on.
Background of the Digital India Act:
The Information Technology Act, 2000 has been amended many times because that act does not have provisions to protect the users from cyber crimes of the new digital world. It is essential to improve the provision of cyber security and data protection. To deal with the problems emerging with new technologies the New Digital India Act has been introduced.
The Digital India Bill was introduced in November 2022 and is still pending in Parliament. The bill was proposed with the aim to promote the growth of India’s digital economy to $1 trillion by the year 2026.
Key points of the act:
The Digital India Authority would be established to regulate the execution of the provisions of the act and to make sure that the technology should be used securely.
This act would establish new provisions to protect children from online exploitation.
The provisions of the act would require social media sites to take measures to prevent unsafe content from their sites.
The act aims to provide data protection to the users, it has provisions that will make it easy for users to protect their data and restrict organizations to use the data.
The act has empowered the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to declare some activities as punishable and to take necessary actions.
The government would have the authority to make sure that the sites are held liable for displaying the restricted content.
Purpose of the act:
The new Digital India Act intended to provide various services and facilities to the users such as:
To promote digital governance and innovation protection.
To provide rules for content commercialization, determining user harm, and maintaining cyberspace security.
To regulate fake news under the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression.
To make rules for personal data collection.
To establish a government agency for the breach of provisions.
Impact of the act:
This new Digital India Act will have many impacts on users, some of which are:
The act will safeguard the constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression on social media platforms.
It will provide a redressal avenue to the users.
It will provide control over the data that the user provides.
It ought to improve online security and provide enhanced protection from cyber crimes.
The act encourages fair play amongst digital users.
It will make possibility to gain advancement of new emerging technologies.
Necessity of the new act:
The digital world is constantly evolving with new technologies and earlier law did not adequately address the challenges posed by new technologies.
New act is needed to keep up with these advancements and ensure that they are used responsibly and ethically.
This new act will establish clear guidelines and safeguards for the collection, storage, and use of personal data, ensuring that it is not misused or compromised.
It will help in establishing effective cyber security measures and penalize such acts. The act will provide a comprehensive framework to regulate digital services across different sectors.
Conclusion:
The Digital India Act aims to safeguard the freedom of speech and expression of individuals and protect them from cyber crimes and provide a safe online environment.
It intended to create a framework that ensures the secure and efficient delivery of digital services, protects the privacy and data of Indian citizens, and fosters innovation and growth in the digital economy.
It aims to empower individuals with digital rights, facilitate access to digital services for all sections of society, and establish mechanisms for resolving digital disputes.
This act is the need of the evolving digital world and its demands, where everything including personal life is becoming digital.