Statement by India under Agenda Item 3 : Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the right of Privacy at the 52nd Session of Human Rights Council (27 February – 4 April 2023) delivered by Ms. Sushma Chauhan, Director, Geneva, 15 March 2023
Mr. President,
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her Report on the implementation of data privacy principles by States in respect of personal data collected during the pandemic.
- To combat the pandemic, India developed the Aarogya Setu mobile application in May 2020 with “privacy-first by design” as a key principle through its Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol. The app has implemented some of the best practices and widely accepted privacy features including anonymization, data minimization, purpose and use limitation, and data retention principles. As per its protocol, the app’s contact tracing feature has been discontinued and the data collected through it has been deleted.
- For the adoption of a comprehensive privacy framework and to further secure the data privacy rights of our citizens, a Digital Personal Data Protection legislation has been introduced in November 2022. The Government is consulting various stakeholders for their views on its draft text, which has also been made available for the general public to provide comments and suggestions.
Mr. President,
- Privacy is a core element of an individual’s life. India fully recognises and respects the right to privacy as a fundamental right and is committed to ensuring it for all its citizens.
I thank you.
