Firm up data-privacy laws

Digital India campaign was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an important objective to ensure that the neglected other billion goes online. However, governments at the national and state level along with regulatory bodies have to be very cautious about collaborating with technology giants who are hungry for personal data. Facebook, Google (Alphabet), Apple, Microsoft and Amazon are desperately soaking up any and every information about Indians, among other global users.

Collaborating with the government works well for these tech giants since it offers legitimacy and easy access to data about Indians. In a situation where government’s own data systems aren’t strong and privacy law is yet to catch up with global standards, India should err on the side of caution. There are many worrying examples of collaboration.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has partnered with Facebook to promote voter registration. After the expose on how Facebook and Cambridge Analytica misused user data, ECI expressed its concern. However, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has indicated the ECI will continue to partner with Facebook. In June 2017, when Facebook had 180 million users in India, it sent out messages in 13 languages to its subscribers to register as voters. A very noble idea, but do we know how Facebook will use this information? The ECI says it has not allowed access to its database to Facebook. But it will not be difficult for Facebook to get relevant voter information from the people who used the registration button. In 2018, the Facebook-user community in India has grown to 240 million, the highest in any country. India has more than 800 million eligible voters and the number is growing every year. No other country offers such numbers to technology companies.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is now a payment gateway too. WhatsApp is rolling out this service in phases across India. It will not be difficult for them to match voter profiles with payment profiles for instance.

Microsoft has also launched its payment option Kaizala. The company claims that over 900 bodies, including State Bank of India and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (central school organisation), are using Kaizala. Moreover, about 70,000 employees of Andhra Pradesh government in 30 departments are using Kaizala for day-to-day work. Does the Andhra Government have enough safeguards in place to protect the data of the users?

Tamil Nadu government has launched a digital literacy programme with Google and Microsoft to encourage IT adoption in rural areas. This programme is running in 13 states. Google wants to take its Internet Saathi (partner) programme to 3,00,000 villages in India. It will train and educate women on the usage of Internet, in partnership with Tata Trusts. This is an important effort, but are we sure that this is not a part of a larger agenda of technology companies to get deep access to first-time users of Internet? How do we know what kind of data — about users — is being collected? Tata Trusts should be worried. So should be the governments that are helping these companies.

There are many such collaborations and partnerships between government agencies and technology companies. At one level, these are excellent and necessary initiatives to aid governance and improve digital inclusion.

Sadly, today the trust is gone. Even Silicon Valley experts are concerned about the deep tentacles of technology companies. The sophisticated manner in which Facebook, Apple, Google and Microsoft can use data of users is difficult to fathom even for experienced technology leaders.

Most employees of Google, Facebook and Microsoft are unaware of how data is being gathered, mined and used. Cambridge Analytica was a forced confession by Facebook. Even its own employees were shocked. Facebook now accepts that personal data of over 5,00,000 users have been compromised by Cambridge Analytica.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said what others have been itching to say. Facebook and Google are too big to be governed. Macron is now arguing that these companies be broken up into smaller ones. The European Union is finding it tough to counter the monopolistic tendencies of these companies and is furious over data misuse. Indian systems don’t have the maturity to counter the sophistication of Facebook, Google and Microsoft. While Facebook owns WhatsApp, Google owns YouTube. Apple, through its phones and apps, knows pretty much about everyone.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and Niti Aayog must formulate a policy for government department’s collaboration with tech giants. The eager embrace offered to them by the government should be replaced with a sceptical handshake. Until there is adequate disclosure, clear pledges against data misuse and stringent data privacy laws, Indian government must halt collaboration with such technology companies.

India can’t be naive about collaboration at a time when China has virtually shut out US-based social media and digital technology companies. Industry leader Anand Mahindra has argued for an Indian Facebook. The underlying fear is of being exploited. China has its own Facebook, Google and WhatsApp. India has been careful enough to stop Google Street View. Indian government does not have to raise a wall like China. But it should no longer consider technology companies as benevolent organisations committed to the selfless cause of development. They are data hungry, profit-seeking organisations keen to carve up the world’s biggest open digital market that is India.

The writer is an economic analyst and author of Kranti Nation: India and The Fourth Industrial Revolution