Now, govt can access sensitive client informaiton from companies

Now, govt can access sensitive client informaiton from companies

  The Indian government has made new rules that allow it to access sensitive client information stored in company databases. That means nothing can be held back from the authorities. Government officials can call for your medical profile, your credit card details, and even your passwords.

Are citizens' worst privacy nightmares coming true? Is there nothing secret any more? What are the implications of the new rules for citizens who differ from the government's ideology? How will the rules affect political and religious dissenters? How does the government plan to protect individual citizens from unscrupulous government officials and politicians, who could use sensitive personal information to threaten, blackmail, and destroy lives?

Read PRS India's post on the development:

The government has given itself the “master key” to access major consumer databases maintained by companies in different sectors. Under new regulations made under the Information Technology Act, government can ask companies to share sensitive personal information about their customers.

Sensitive personal information would cover medical records and history, information about physical, physiological and mental health, sexual orientation, credit and debit cards, biometric information and passwords.

Under the new rules any government agency required under law to obtain information for the purpose of verifying identity, or for prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences can ask a company to give sensitive personal information held by it about an individual.

There are no checks on this power, except that the request for information be made in writing, and stating clearly the reason for seeking the information.  Usually information requests have certain inbuilt checks.  For example, search warrants in criminal cases are issued by a court.  Tapping of telephones or interception of electronic communication can only be authorised by the Union or the State Home Secretary after following a prescribed process.  The new Bill for Unique Identification Number (UID) permits such use only by the order of a court, or for national security (by an order of an authorised officer of at least Joint Secretary rank in the central government).