India says no to free flow of digital data at G20 meeting

NEW DELHI : India on Tuesday made it clear that it is not in a position to accept the concept of Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), which was originally proposed by former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at the G20 summit last year.

Speaking at the virtual meeting of G20 trade ministers, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India is of the view that the concept of DFFT is neither well-understood nor is it comprehensive enough in the legislation of many countries.

“Moreover, in view of the huge digital divide among countries, there is a need for policy space for developing countries who still have to finalize laws around digital trade and data.