Important to regulate govt-related sources to fight misinformation, says former MP Rajeev Gowda at Business Today Tech Today Congress

Former MP Rajeev Gowda, while speaking at the Business Today Tech Today Congress, talked about the need for Digital Data Privacy Protection Bill and cited the recent example of how a viral picture of wrestlers smiling after arrest during the ongoing wrestlers protest was a deep fake.

"A lot of misinformation emerges from government-related sources. Who will regulate them if it's not a neutral fact-checking entity?" he said while responding to a question on the rise in fake news . Gowda also suggested that it is the need of the hour for the government to create regulatory setups that ensure that there are ways of going after the perpetrators. 

While citing an example of the infamous 'Sully Deals', Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, said, a lot of people belonging to a certain religion were targeted. She also spoke about how the percentage of women is low on social media and when they try to voice their opinion on a certain topic, they face bullying. “Private photos of women in Sully deals app cases belonging to a certain religion were misused and their photographs were auctioned," she noted.

On being asked about how the government is trying to control free speech, Tejasvi Surya, BJP MP said, “The data protection law tries to harmoniously balance four important principles- right to privacy, allow space for new start-ups to process data lawfully, harmoniously balance these rights with the national security of the nation, an effective data protection board to enforce the rights that are enumerated.”

He summarized the draft of data protection bill in the following points:

1. Give primacy to the individual, his right to privacy.

2. Allow space for new start-ups and think tanks to process data lawfully.

3. Have an effective data protection board to enforce the rights that are enumerated.

4. Also, harmoniously balance these rights with the national security of the nation.

Meanwhile, Chaturvedi pointed out that some of the foreign platforms are showing very selective accountability and it is important for the government to take away the safe harbour from them.