Despite privacy being recognised as a fundamental right by the Constitution of India, the existing legal provisions give several outlets to override the privacy concerns of the public. Should governments have access to sensitive data of citizens which they can utilise for an infinite period of time without accountability? How to strike a balance between the State’s identified goal and the method used to achieve it? The article looks into some of these questions.
Anjali Sunil
Innovation is considered to be the fuel of the 21st century. Technologists all around the world are constantly creating systems that can be used in making corporations and governing systems more efficient. This includes surveillance systems used to effectively monitor public ecosystems to protect citizens from crimes and control them in times of pandemic. An extensive use of data has been more pronounced in recent times to enforce strict quarantine measures in combating COVID-19. However, this is bestowing more power on the government to monitor its citizens and the lack of comprehensive laws to regulate such power is really concerning. We are still governed by some archaic laws, which combined with the technological prowess of today become a lethal combination for privacy.
Anjali Sunil is Research Intern at Centre for Public Policy Research. Views expressed are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of Centre for Public Policy Research.