European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) in partnership with MeitY Startup Hub organised a session on “Data Protection and Management- Scaling Up in the India-Europe Business Corridor” on 14th December, 2020

The session brought together leaders of Europe – India business corridor, including select policymakers, think tanks, business leaders, representatives from governments, legal from Europe and India.

The panel discussed and shared valuable insights on Global Data Protection Rights (GDPR) and new Indian Data protection and privacy laws introduced recently. Headline addresses were given by Dr. Ajai Kumar Garg and Mr. Arvind Gupta, setting the tone of the session

  • Dr. Ajai Kumar Garg set off the session with a strong observation that trust is hallmark of trade and in this digital era, data is the new fuel and the basis of innovation. He stated how GDPR and the Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP) which is yet to be implemented are such attempts to create a structured regime to protect user’s data.

  • Mr. Arvind Gupta while shedding light on India’s policy on data regulation, discussed the intent behind PDP and how it will impact cross-border trade. He also deliberated on how data protection will unlock empowerment. Aso, he stressed on the fact that it is very crucial to create a common platform to data realted technologies and policy related to it

Privacy is a major concern in this era of the digital. Where trust is the hallmark of trade, protection to one’s data is an emerging concern. The session not only the mattercross-border on how data protection is a key component of cross border trade but also how the same is being achieved through the EU-GDPR, which is an attempt to create a structured regime to protect users’ data in Europe.

It also shed light on market knowledge on how to be compliant with the privacy and data protection laws which is vital for businesses interested to venture the EU market. For instance, as per GDPR, a Data Protection Representative is a must for a Non-EU Company doing business in the EU.

The experts of the domain also deliberated on the key highlights upcoming PDP Bill from a legal, implementational and strategic viewpoint along with the impact it shall have on cross border trade and its differences with the EU-GDPR. The holistic bottom-up approach of the PDP, a framework for data, with inclusivity and consent as essentials is indubitably a vital factor waiting to influence trade. Data is a strong element through which comes empowerment on different levels.

Technically, data process amount is same for SMEs as it is for any larger organisation and hence the focus would be on scale ups. The experts noted that SMEs are still flexible in their ways, to incorporate technologies and practices along with good governance early to be compliant with the right-regime privacy and data protection laws. This will prevent challenges faced by a large organisation today, who have to modify well-established procedures, departments and workflows. These privacy related technologies should enable more rights to consumers and should essentially symbolise privacy by design.

To know more, or collaborate in this space, write to tyagi@ebtc.eu