The Union cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the Personal Data Protection Bill that seeks to lay down a legal framework to preserve the sanctity of “consent” in data sharing and penalize those breaching privacy norms. In a first, the bill proposes social media platforms to create a mechanism so that for every user who registers their service from India or uses their service from India, a voluntary verifiable account mechanism has to be made. The bill categorizes data into three categories—critical, sensitive and general. Sensitive data—financial, health, sexual orientation, biometrics, transgender status, religious or political beliefs and affiliation—can be stored only in India. However, data can be processed outside India with explicit consent.

(Live Mint)