‘Data Protection Seal’ to Investigate Platforms Across the Country Soon: DSCI
The Data Security Council of India (DSCI) plans to design a Data Protection Seal (DPS) to verify and monitor the secure use of people’s data by platforms across the country.
The project, which is currently being tested with partner organizations, will help users know which organizations are using their data securely and following basic data privacy standards. This will be similar to the ISI mark that a product conforms to the Bureau of Indian Standards.
“The data protection seal will provide a level of assurance about the application, website or product, in line with privacy expectations, and whether it is behaving responsibly,” said Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI, in an interaction with Business Standard.
Such a process will enable companies to better comply with the Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) and other upcoming regulations.
“Once we have audited the organization or a platform on the processes they use to handle data and how they use it, we will create this seal, which will ensure that people can see the information and implementation of data security practices. on the platform,” Godse said.
He added that the seal would be a commitment from DSCI that the app, product and platform were audited by the organization as per expectations from a data security perspective.
The DSCI is a non-profit organization, founded by trade association Nasscom. It works in the areas of cyber security and privacy, and partners with governments, agencies, regulators, industry sectors, associations and think tanks for policy advocacy, thought leadership, capacity building and outreach activities.
The council has also launched a data protection program, known as DSCI Certified Data Protection Officer, which helps organizations train their DPOs as per the requirements of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.
“A number of batches under the program are already being hosted in Delhi and Bengaluru. We will train many more groups and set up DPOs, which will help organizations comply with the DPDP Act,” Godse said.
The Data Protection Seal and DPO Credential Program are part of DSCI’s agenda for the upcoming International Data Privacy Day on January 28.
Vinayak identified the growth of the ransomware ecosystem, multi-factor authentication-related attacks and the use of artificial intelligence as the biggest cybersecurity challenges in 2024.
He also alluded to the possibility of state-created threat attacks impacting the commercial sector and end-users, due to the increasing amounts of investment involved.
With the increasing cases of deepfakes, Godse suggested that looking at every piece of content could be a very difficult task. Instead, he said, the identities of Internet users who make such content viral should be identified and contained.
Analyzing the authenticity of content without disclosing it to the platform is another challenge that must be taken into account when identifying deepfakes to avoid infringing on users’ privacy, he added.
However, Godse also called for a privacy-protective analysis of deepfake content around sensitive issues such as sexually explicit media or content that could pose problems for public order, to eliminate the threat of deepfakes and disinformation in the digital world.
· It would help users know which apps and platforms keep their data safe
· It could help platforms better comply with the DPDP Act and similar future rules
First print: January 22, 2024 | 10:04 PM IST