Personal Data Protection Bill: What is it and why is the opposition so unhappy with it?

The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 finally submitted its recommendations for an overdue law after several rounds of meetings, depositions and red flags from the opposition amid heightened concerns over privacy. However, several MPs from the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and other parties are unhappy with the report, alleging that it is designed to stymie the government and its agencies from overriding an individual’s right of consent before processing personal data. Seven Opposition members, including Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari and Trinamul legislators Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra, submitted dissent notes in protest. We explain the bill and the opposition’s main objection.