The Constitution Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed in the Parliament on 9th December 2019 and was officially signed by the President on 12th December 2019 making it the Constitution Amendment Act (CAA).

The entire country has been on fire since then. The implementation of the National Registration of Citizenship (NRC) along with the introduction of CAA is a deadly combination subtly affecting the Muslim minority and is a direct attack on the secular nature of our country.

Understanding the graveness of the situation, the students of the country have come together to raise their voice against this ‘unconstitutional bill’ and protests have been taking place all over. Not only this, these protests have picked up great momentum and the CAA is international news now.

Everybody is talking about the same and the government has been trying to suppress the situation by internet shutdown, article 144, police brutality, etc.

While the entire nation is outraged over such a bill, another controversial bill named the Data Protection Bill has been tabled in the parliament recently.

Amidst the ongoing chaos, people are not paying heed to the newly introduced bill.

However, the bill is like no ordinary bill and is going to affect every Indian citizen as it is proposed with a right to an individual’s privacy breach.

All About The Bill

The Data Protection Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology on 11th December 2019.

The objective of the bill is to ‘provide for the protection of personal data of individuals, and establishes a Data Protection Authority for the same.’

The clauses of the bill are applicable in terms of allowing and processing of personal data by the –

(i) government,

(ii) companies incorporated in India

(iii) foreign companies dealing with personal data of individuals in India.

Further, it categorizes an individual’s data into types;

  • Personal Data– characteristics, traits or attributes of identity; that can help in the identification of a person
  • Sensitive Personal Data– financial data, biometric data, caste, religious or political beliefs

Under this bill, the government gets full control of our data and it will set up a ‘data fiduciary’ for the collection and limitation of data.


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According to the PRS Legislative Research, “the bill will set up a data protection authority that can take steps to protect the interests of individuals, prevent misuse of personal data, and ensure compliance with the Bill.”

In layman terms, the bill has officially mentioned clauses that assure data security to an individual but in a hypothetical way as the bill offers to give full control of data to the government in case it is “satisfied that it is necessary or expedient” for purposes such as “preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offense.”

In practicality, your government is keeping a check on all your activities all the time.

Why Is It Shady?

The bill is super complex as it not only expands the regulatory power of the state but also presents our data at their discretion. It comes with the threat of invading into an individual’s personal life and manipulating the same in name of investigation and regulation purposes.

Not only this, the bill was to be first presented before the Parliament’s Standing Committee headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, as per the normal procedure followed for an IT bill.

Whereas, this bill was by-passed by the Standing Committee and a new Joint Parliamentary Committee was formed which will entertain the hearings on the bill separately. Such a move is not only alarming but also questions the transparency of the bill and the government’s intent behind the same.

The fact that the bill has been passed on in a secretive way without any public consultation is itself speaking of its controversial nature.

Although the Supreme Court has laid down certain guidelines over an individual’s privacy but considering the covetous proceedings, it is doubtful is the bill sticks to the privacy guidelines laid by the Supreme Court or not.

Possibilities…

The bill is not yet a law but is still a worrisome issue as it doesn’t seem to be a good move in terms of both the citizens’ and nation’s interest.

Such an act will give access to a humongous amount of data and storing the same is an extremely expensive venture which will be a laid on the country’s finances. Moreover, the bigger threat of misusing the same lingers perpetually. And what about personal vendetta? The government is already famous for being intolerant and carrying out witch hunts over people or voices of dissent. Will it not be highly misused to suppress anything and everything which doesn’t go in their favour? 

The complexity of the bill leaves the ordinary people in a pool of sheer confusion. But it’s alarming as it raises bigger questions like-

Does an individual get the ownership and exclusiveness of his data under this bill or it’s all breached?

Does the bill assure it won’t use our data for its interest and political manipulation?

Is it assured that the citizens won’t be snooped, stalked or profiled for the government’s benefit?

Justifying the same, the government talks about cheap data access and intents it to use to increase economic development.

Let’s see if the bill succeeds in maintaining the integrity of the government by keeping a balance between private profit and inadvertent surveillance or not?


Image credits : Google Images

Sources: PRS India, Youtube + more

Find the Blogger @ZehraYameena


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2 COMMENTS

  1. CAB and NRC for the Indian Muslims

    The plan of the Chaiwala for the Indian Muslims.dindooohindoo

    Hypothesis

    Assuming that the votes cast in the last polls in Hindoosthan,were at 40% of the aggregate Indian Population – it would be safe to assume that 50% of the residual non voters,would have no ID proof or records to prove ID, and there will be alternative claimants to their ID and properties and assets.

    Of them 90% will be Muslims,Dalits,SC/ST and just poor and marginal farmers and workers.What are these People expected to do ? There is no way that they will get any ID or prove the forensic trail of their possessions and properties,even within the current generation.It will be impossible to prove that they are Bangladeshis or from Timbuktu.

    Step 1

    As soon as these people are identified,their assets will be frozen and there will be multiple claimants for their assets and possessions – which will lead to distress sales and 3 rd party warehousing of their properties and assets as well as hawala operations within and outside Hinooosthan (at a huge loss to the owners,just like in the Demo)

    Step 2

    In addition,touts fronting for the BJP/RSS will offer alt-IDs,safe passage etc. (just like in the Demo drive) and the baboos,patwaris,village polity and pandoos (khaki ke kutte) will have a field day

    Step 3

    The next step of the Chaiwala,will be to target the Muslims etc.,with voter ids and voting rights and to use the NRC,to disenfranchise them – as a non-citizen cannot have a voting right.

    Purpose

    The purpose of the Chaiwala is to disenfranchise Muslims and Dalits and Tribes in several North Eastern states,and other states,where the margin of vote winnings,is in a few 100s or 1000s,and there is a large hostile population which is anti-Muslim or Anti-Tribal,in sentiment.Then the Chaiwala can import the Hindoos from SAARC and settle them in those wafer thin constituencies (as swing voters),and especially near the IB (as spies).

    Export-Import

    The disenfranchised Muslims and Muslims with No ID,will then be exported to UP/Bihar/Telangana etc.,to Muslim dominated areas (on the pretext that their own,will protect them),where the BJP already has an electoral disadvantage – to further polarise the Hindoos,in those states and provoke Anti-Muslim sentiments,to secure/grow and consolidate their vote bank

    Electoral Aggregation

    In the interim,the other political parties will punt on the Muslims etc.,and thus,will form a coalition against the Chaiwala (to ensure that there is no vote split and the votes are transferred to the coalition).This is what the Chaiwala wants,as that will further polarise the Hindoos and possibly bring to the fore their bestial instincts – which will be,to support the Chaiwala

    If there is no Anti-Chaiwala coalition,then the Muslim vote will splinter,as Chaiwala,earnestly desires

    The Hindoo Bindoo who believed that they would get 25000 USD per capita,will be easily conned to believe that the Anti-Chaiwala
    coalition,created riots over CAB and thus,the Muslim reaction on the streets – is precisely why NRC is required,and that the Anti-Chaiwala coalition is anti-hindu and anti-national

    False Flag operations

    If the instincts do not show the surge,then the Chaiwala will use the NIA/IB and Military Intel to bomb some Hindoo refugee camps and some Muslim clusters – like in Pulwama (which was a difficult forced flag operation).That will be cake walk for the NIA/IB – the khaki ke kutte.

    It is certain that there will be spate of bombings in North East and Central and South India to build the euphoria against the “imagined other” and build the case for the NRC

    The Pathetos

    A majority of Indian Muslims are Dalit converts.It is easy to conceive a situation wherein some Muslims with no ID Proof will gladly add “Rama” to their names,and accept ID cards with a Lotus synbol,or verses of the Ramayana – to live in India.

    The Kiss of death of the Israelis

    History records that whoever is used by the Israelis or is conned by the Israelis to kill the enemies of the Israelis – is destroyed forever.

    It is the curse on Solomon’s lineage and those which support the lineage

    Chaiwala was born to destroy Hindoosthan and has now adopted the Israeli Model.The Jews convinced Cyrus that a verse in the
    Torah named him as the Messiah.He rebuilt the Temple of Solomon, and his clan,empire and nation were destroyed forever.

    The Jews conned Cyrus.Chaiwala is the son of a Ayah Whore.It is the destiny of the chaiwala to doom Hindoosthan

    Moral of the Story

    The dumb Muslims and Dalits of Hindoosthan have to understand that they need a separate nation.They will get nothing from Hindoosthan.

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