Worried by data leak, PM wants servers in India -Pankaj Doval

-The Times of India

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi is understood to have expressed serious concern over data leaks and alleged manipulation of user information by global internet and social media giants. According to top sources, the PM has instructed that data sharing should be regulated and servers be located within the country.

 

The issue came up for discussion during a recent meeting of the Union Cabinet, where the episode of data leakage and manipulation by Facebook and UK-based Cambridge Analytica was raised, said sources. "The PM said that servers that house data of millions of users should be located within India. The issue was thereafter discussed within the IT ministry which carried out a thorough review last week," a top source told TOI .

The majority of user data generated on platforms of top companies such as Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram is stored across servers located internationally. Moreover, access to these servers – and the information they hold – is highly regulated by US laws and certain international treaties.

Questions sent to Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – regarding their plans for having local servers – and also on steps initiated towards data security, remained unanswered. The sources said the issue is being pursued on "top priority" by the government. "The PM has said that instruments should be established to ensure that user information is increasingly stored locally, and that its sharing is regulated. Data protection is of utmost concern in a highly-digital society… "

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