DIGITAL NEWS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION CHALLENGES PRIVACY LAW, AS ATTACK ON THE FREEDOM OF PRESS AND WHISTLE BLOWERS FROM SHARING INFORMATION ON CORRUPTION ETC

The Government has announced implementation of a privacy law to protect digital personal data of users, raising compliance requirements for platforms like Meta and Google, the publishers have said that since media outlets were not exempt, hence the law was an invasion of press freedom, however media companies received assurances in the August meeting with the Government that the law would protect press freedom, but no written assurance has been given to the Digital News Publishers Association. The law would render investigative journalism a benign and nurtured recorder of events and the provisions constitute pre censorship which is anathema to any democracy for the people of the people and by the people. News publishers are concerned that a federal authority created under the law can impose fines for non compliance, and grants powers to Government of India to block access to any information in the interests of the general public, which would curtail press freedom, as per report made by the DNPA. It further stated that India has chosen to grant broad exemptions to the state, while failing to extend any corresponding protection to the press. Further it is mentioned in the letter issued by the DNPA that, it can also deter whistleblowers from sharing information on corruption, corporate, wrong doing or electoral malpractice with reporters, the DNPA further argued that nakedly unguided provisions must be quashed, as the power can be extended to privilege communications in possessions of a reporter or the informant, and it is an attack on the freedom of press :-- Er Fateh chand Guleria, Director RTI welfare Association registered number HPCD, 3552 , Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh phone number, 9459334377