DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY LAWS IN INDIA: WHOSE PRIVACY DOES THE DPDP ACT ACTUALLY PROTECT?

This blog investigates if the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, provides privacy protection as promised after Puttaswamy. It argues that the Act puts regulations on private entities while restricting citizens in their fight against the government, and its amendment of the Right to Information Act provides public officials with a shield from scrutiny, removing the balance of public interest that has exposed corruption. The paper also argues that the dependence of the Data Protection Board on the Central Government only makes this imbalance worse.