Ashwini Vaishnaw: DPDP Act enhances RTI with greater transparency on what tech firms collect

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw addressing a press briefing on November 17 in New DElhi

The amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, brought about through the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, will not weaken, but instead strengthen its provisions, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on November 17, days after the amendments came into force.

"The RTI Act very clearly says that any information which is required to be disclosed in the public interest would be disclosed. That absolutely remains as it is. The framework doesn't get diluted," Vaishnaw said during a media briefing in New Delhi.

"On the contrary, citizens get more information because various provisions in the DPDP Act -- where they will get Right to Information about what information tech companies, and what private information has been collected by tech companies, as part of the various provisions. Right to information is actually enhanced by the rule," Vaishnaw added.

Under the DPDP Act, data principals or a user have the right to access information about what categories of personal data is being processed, third parties with whom it is being shared and so on.

Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, amends the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The amendment says that public authorities and information commissioners must apply the DPDP Act’s definition of “personal data” while deciding RTI requests.

This effectively raises the threshold for disclosing personal details of individuals unless a larger public interest is clearly established.

Vaishnaw and IT secretary S Krishnan also said that a frequently asked question document on the RTI amendment has been finalised and will be put out soon.