India not in a position to accept concept of DFFT, says Piyush Goyal

India is not in a position to accept the concept of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) as it is neither well understood nor is comprehensive enough in the legislation of many countries, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

He said that in view of the huge digital divide among countries, there is a need for policy space for developing countries which still have to finalise laws around digital trade and data.

The minister was speaking at the virtual meeting of the G-20 Trade and Investment Ministers.

He said data is a potent tool for development, and equitable access of data is a critical aspect for India.

Like many other developing countries, India is still in the phase of preparing a framework for its data protection and e-commerce laws, he added.