Government “severely restricting” RTI Act through data Bill: NCPRI
A proposed amendment to India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Bill seeks to remove the public interest exception from the Right to Information Act. This change would strictly prohibit government agencies from disclosing any personal information, effectively eliminating the legal basis for sharing private data when it serves the broader public good. Activists warn this move significantly weakens transparency laws by hindering collective monitoring and rights enforcement. By blocking access to granular information, the amendment creates substantial impediments for citizens trying to verify their entitlements under welfare schemes, thereby reducing accountability in government operations. This development is critical for open data advocates, as it threatens to sever the link between privacy protection and public oversight. Without the ability to access personal data in the public interest, mechanisms for auditing government efficiency and preventing corruption are severely compromised, undermining the core principles of an open society.
Source: thehindu.comPublished on 2023-07-15