The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by Anurag Singh Thakur, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, is examining various aspects related to ‘citizens’ data security and privacy’, the government informed on Friday.
“In view of the immense importance of the subject, the committee for the purpose of wider consultations invite suggestions from the public in general and experts/professionals/organisations/associations and stakeholders interested in the subject in particular,” a government statement said.
It said the memoranda, which might be submitted to the committee, would form part of the records of the committee and will be treated as strictly confidential and the contents will not be divulged to anyone, as such an act would constitute a ‘breach of privilege’ of the committee.
“Those who are desirous of giving oral evidence before the Committee, besides sending memoranda, are requested to intimate the Lok Sabha Secretariat to this effect well in advance,” it said.
However, the committee’s decision in this regard will be final, it added.
Privacy issues and data breach have become a big issue, especially in the wake of Cambridge Analytica’s role of data leak. After the incident, the government is working at a faster pace and data protection law is also expected to be out soon.