- The Data Digitisation and Monetisation Council (DDMC) would oversee all the issues related to data, including digitisation, monetisation, sharing and storage
- The TRAI has made the recommendations at a time when the government also recommended setting up a Data Protection Board to resolve data-related issues
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended an apex body for data governance and to steer India’s data economy in the immediate aftermath of the government introducing the new draught Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022.
The Data Digitization and Monetization Council (DDMC) would be formed by either amending the current law or enacting a new law to oversee all data-related issues such as digitization, monetization, sharing, and storage.
The recommendation to the apex body is part of TRAI’s recommendations for a regulatory framework to promote the country’s data economy. Data centers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and internet exchanges are all covered by the recommendations (IXs). The document was released by the telecom watchdog on November 18.
The telecom watchdog’s recommendations come at a time when the government has also suggested establishing a Data Protection Board to address data-related issues.
What Would The DDMC Cover?
The DDMC would be responsible for data governance in the country and overseeing data centers, CDNs and IXs.
Further, the DDMC would also be responsible to put an overarching regulatory framework to ensure that the data is used ethically, both by the government as well as the businesses operating in India.
“The proposed body should have suitable representation from DoT (Department of Telecommunications) and MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and IT), in addition to representatives from Central and State governments,” said the TRAI on the components and governing structure of the DDMC.
“The proposed body should be entrusted with the responsibility to review and prioritize the avenues which would require more concentrated efforts of data digitization and fix timeframes accordingly,” said the TRAI in its recommendations.
Further, the TRAI said that DDMC should also assess the data digitization requirements and define the process framework for the use of AI and related technologies in data processing, data sharing, and data monetization while ensuring the privacy and security of the data owner.
DDMC would also frame policies and incentivization schemes for data digitization, data sharing, and data monetization.
