Data Protection Bill Goes To Select Panel

Joint House committee to submit report before end of Budget Session

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The Lok Sabha on Wednesday referred the Personal Data Protection Bill to a joint select committee amidst protests from the Opposition that the proposed law breaches personal privacy of users.

The committee is expected to submit its report before the end of Parliament’s Budget Session, which usually begins in January.

Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while moving a resolution in the House, said the Bill may be referred to a joint committee of the House, which will have 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

The Bill, the first cybersecurity law in the country, will levy a hefty penalty of up to Rs 15 crore or 4 per cent of global annual turnover on global internet giants and social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter for violations.