DPDP ACT
From enterprises to SMBs: How Flashfox AI plans to change the hiring game
GetWork’s AI hiring business, now spun off as Flashfox AI, is targeting 500 enterprise clients in the next 24 months as it expands into Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Consent managers search for viable revenue model as registration nears
Consent managers are intended to help individuals manage, review and withdraw consent for the processing of their personal data, and they're required to be registered with the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI). A consent manager is data-blind, and processes metadata, consent artifacts, and cryptographic routing instructions.
Cyberattacks hit NBFCs; Pine Labs Q2 profit zooms
Cyber criminals are targetting smaller NBFCs with specialised AI toolkits. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Meesho Q2 loss narrows; Info Edge names Sanjeev Bikhchandani CEO
Happy Thursday! Meesho’s losses shrunk as revenue grew in the second quarter of FY27. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
PHP scare sparks calls for urgent corp DPDP audits to plug all gaps
The incidents underline the need to identify gaps in companies’ security practices and clarify what constitutes reasonable safeguards before the law takes effect, they said. The DPDP Act is being implemented in phases, with a May 2027 deadline for full compliance obligations.
Government open to media suggestions on Digital Personal Data Protection Act, promises to uphold press freedom
The Government of India is willing to consider suggestions from news organisations about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that journalistic freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution and will not be affected. Concerns have been raised about the Act's provisions potentially infringing on press freedom and the Right to Information Act. The Digital News Publishers Association argues for exemptions for journalism activities within the DPDP Act.
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Centre open to changes in DPDP law to protect press freedom, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
The Centre aims to amend the Digital Personal Data Protection law to address concerns raised by news publishers. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the law does not limit press freedom. This response follows a Supreme Court notice regarding a petition from the Digital News Publishers Association and others. Publishers argue the lack of exemption for journalism could jeopardize investigative reporting and confidential sources.
Anthropic IPO rocks Indian IT; Why Walmart is in no hurry to list Flipkart
Anthropic’s US IPO filing sent Indian IT stocks lower on Tuesday. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Clock’s ticking for data protection, but the boardroom remains empty
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, the framework for registering consent managers with the DPBI is scheduled to start on November 13. But a government response to a Right to Information (RTI) application shows that the board spent not a single rupee on salaries, office expenses, rent or information and communication technology equipment as of September 30 this year.
Rogue AI agents exposing India’s data law blindspots
As companies edge closer to the May 2027 enforcement deadline for the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) law, AI’s emerging cybersecurity risks are creating tension over what might constitute adequate compliance just six to seven months from now.
Bharat D2C Conclave 2026: From the ₹100 crore playbook to AI-led advertising and omnichannel strategies, founders on scaling India’s consumer brands
Inside the Bharat D2C Conclave 2026, which brought founders, investors and policymakers together to discuss the business decisions shaping India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecosystem, from scaling revenues and expanding distribution to using customer data and navigating regulatory requirements.
Nobody at Zeta writes code the old way anymore: co-founder Ramki Gaddipati
AI agents now generate, test and review code before humans approve it; Zeta says AI has lifted productivity by 30-40% and cut the number of people it needs for client delivery by more than half.
27 FIRs in 7 days: Legal crackdown ensues over protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Over a week, law enforcement registered 27 FIRs against protesters targeting the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. The police utilized provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to enforce regulations and account for collective actions. Specific sections invoked included those addressing joint criminal liability, obstruction of public officials, and physical confrontation. Police established barricades and sealed roads around key protest locations to maintain order.
Keeping AI models under control: When an agent causes harm, who bears the blame?
If an AI agent goes rogue, who do you hold responsible— the agent, the LLM developer or the human? asks EY partner Shivaprakash Abburu. Experts believe regulators are slow to build frameworks even as enterprises across the world are actively integrating AI into their workflows.
Physical AI startups moot industry body to set data-collection standards
The proposed body could also help AI labs connect with various farms, factories, hotels and other real-world environments from where they can access and collect data needed to train robots at a fixed rate, one of the founders said.
Government to ask Meta if US child safety defaults will extend to India as well
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been having regular meetings with Meta on technical measures since last month when Meta’s global executives were summoned to India over a host of issues, including the spread of child abuse content online.
ETtech Explainer | Meta’s $17.1 billion toll shifts focus from content to product design
Meta is now dealing with a substantial settlement in the United States in response to mounting child safety issues. This agreement is the result of claims regarding addictive design elements and the mental health implications for younger users. Countries around the world are tightening regulations on social media for minors, with India also contemplating age restrictions and scrutinising platform design.
Is your data truly yours? India's sovereignty struggle with foreign cloud providers and AI
Indian enterprises now prioritize data sovereignty over cost and scale in cloud procurement. New regulations and geopolitical shifts highlight the importance of data control. Data residency does not guarantee jurisdictional independence from foreign governments. India's AI ambitions require control over compute, model weights, and training data. Procurement teams must diligently assess provider sovereignty beyond security certifications.
MSMEs are embracing AI without understanding the privacy risks: PrivaSapien CEO
With key provisions of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Rules set to take effect in May 2027, PrivaSapien CEO Abilash Soundararajan says MSMEs need to move beyond compliance checklists and build basic privacy and AI safeguards now.
Whatsapp tests age verification in India ahead of DPDP act
WhatsApp is testing privacy-protective age verification methods for Indian users. This initiative aims to comply with the upcoming Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The company assures users that age information will remain private and not shared. This optional test does not alter the current WhatsApp user experience. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act comes into full force on May 13, 2027.
Banks and fintechs up privacy play with DPDP Act in phased rollout
Non-state lender Yes Bank has constituted a dedicated data privacy office and appointed a data privacy officer. “In line with the DPDPA, we are currently undertaking a gap assessment, evaluating consent tools, and rolling out multiple training initiatives to build staff awareness of the DPDP Act,” said Munesh Ahuja, its data privacy officer. Industry experts said such steps are becoming essential as the 18-month phased rollout of the DPDP framework compresses timelines for compliance, with enforcement expected by May next year.
Hospitals, insurers rejig operations as DPDP kicks in next year
India’s healthcare and health insurance sectors are ramping up data protection as the DPDP Act comes into force in May 2027. Hospitals and insurers are embedding privacy into operations, updating policies, and investing in compliance tools. The legislation is seen as both a regulatory mandate and an opportunity to build long-term trust in the space.
The story of DPDP: how the data law came to be
Despite receiving presidential assent and being published in the official gazette in August 2023, the act has not yet been enforced. The delay has been due to the absence of administrative rules necessary to operationalise the law. These specify how the provisions of the act will be applied in practice.
India’s long wait for data protection law
India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, received Presidential approval in August 2023, marking a significant step towards data protection. However, enforcement is still pending two years later. The final rules, released in January, await notification to fully empower the legislation, concluding 13 years of efforts to establish data protection laws in India.
Govt to make no changes in DPDP Act; FAQs to be issued soon: Sources
Union minister Vaishnaw said that personal details that are subject to public disclosure under various laws will continue to be disclosed under the RTI Act after the implementation of the new data protection rule.
DPDP does not weaken RTI Act: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
The DPDP Act aligns with privacy and transparency principles, says Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, amid criticism that it weakens the RTI Act. Critics argue the Act's blanket personal data exemption hampers public accountability, while the government insists it balances transparency with privacy and prevents misuse of personal information.
Explainer: Draft DPDP rules 2025 aim to protect citizens' data
The Indian government has released draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025 for public consultation, aimed at implementing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The rules outline data protection measures for children, transfer of personal data outside India, consent management, and the establishment of a Data Protection Board among others.
MeitY releases draft rules for DPDP Act; seeks comments from stakeholders
The government has released the draft executive rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and is seeking stakeholder comments by February 18. The rules require data fiduciaries to obtain verifiable parental consent before processing children's personal data and conduct annual Data Protection Impact Assessments.
DPDP Act: parents prefer one-time consent for children's data
Section 9 of the DPDP Act mandates parental consent for the processing of children’s data and restricts personalised content for minors under 18 years of age.
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