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Digital shield : Safeguarding children from the digital trap

These rules aim to safeguard the rights of digital citizens, ensuring their online safety and privacy.

Understanding the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025

The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, is a comprehensive framework designed to protect the personal data of Indian citizens. The rules are based on the principles of transparency, accountability, and fairness, ensuring that data controllers and processors handle personal data in a responsible manner.

Key Provisions of the Rules

  • Data Protection Officer (DPO): The rules mandate the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO) by data controllers, who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the rules. Data Mapping: Data controllers must create a data map to identify the types of personal data they collect, process, and store. Data Security: The rules require data controllers to implement robust security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, theft, or loss.

    The Importance of Verifiable Parental Consent

    Verifiable parental consent is a crucial aspect of the draft rules, as it provides a safeguard against entities exploiting children’s data. Without this consent, entities cannot collect, store, or use data about minors, thereby protecting them from potential harm. This requirement ensures that entities are transparent about their data collection practices and obtain explicit permission from parents or guardians before collecting or using their child’s data. Key benefits of verifiable parental consent:

    • Protects children from exploitation and harm
    • Ensures transparency about data collection practices
    • Provides parents or guardians with control over their child’s data
    • The Impact on Entities

      The requirement for verifiable parental consent has significant implications for entities that collect and use data about minors. These entities must now obtain explicit permission from parents or guardians before collecting or using their child’s data. This means that entities must adapt their data collection practices to ensure compliance with the draft rules. Failure to comply can result in severe consequences, including fines and reputational damage. Consequences for non-compliance:

    • Fines and penalties
    • Reputational damage
    • Loss of trust and credibility
    • The Way Forward

      The draft rules have the potential to safeguard children from falling into digital traps. By requiring verifiable parental consent, these rules provide a crucial safeguard against entities exploiting children’s data. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it is essential that entities prioritize transparency and obtain explicit permission from parents or guardians before collecting or using their child’s data.

      The Draft Rules: Safeguarding Children’s Data in Schools

      The draft rules aim to protect the sensitive information of children in schools and allied institutions.

      Consent managers bridge the gap between data principals and controllers, ensuring transparency and accountability in data processing activities.

      This is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability in data processing activities.

      The Role of Consent Managers in the New Framework

      The introduction of consent managers in the new framework is a significant development in the regulation of data processing activities.

      (The writer is an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies; views are personal)

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