Digital India Bill likely to be delayed, government may opt for smaller, urgent regulations

The Digital India Bill is expected to replace the more than two decades old Information Technology Act

The much-awaited Digital India Bill, expected to replace the IT Act 2000 with a modern regulatory framework for the internet and AI age, may be delayed further as the government considers the possibility of multiple sector-specific laws, which will be quicker to bring in, sources have said.

The bill has been expected to govern various aspects of the digital ecosystem in India, including cybersecurity, digital governance, regulation of internet intermediaries and digital platforms. The government had earlier said that the bill would provide a comprehensive legal framework to address emerging challenges in the digital age and ensure protection of citizens' rights.

However, now, the IT ministry is examining if it should now bring in a comprehensive law for the entire technology ecosystem or should it introduce smaller, issue-specific legislations, sources said.

"We have to take a call. The Digital India Bill would have replaced the IT Act. When you are bringing in a big legislation, it takes a while because of the consultation process and so on. So we have to take a call on what will be the most efficient in the circumstances -- is it better to take a whole scale approach of doing the whole thing or is it better to take smaller bites and go forward," a source close to the development said.

The bill was also expected to draw up guidelines and ethical standards for the development and deployment of AI technologies, the latest area of concern.

However, now, for instance, the government may choose to bring in a separate legislation for artificial intelligence rather than clubbing it with the larger bill. "If there is something which is more emergent and urgent, we will push that forward," the source said.

The Digital India Bill has been in the works for over three years. During the previous NDA regime, the IT ministry held multiple consultations with the industry but the draft bill is yet to be released.

Moneycontrol earlier reported how the bill may put in place guardrails against AI algorithms, including empowering citizens to opt out from being subjected to an algorithm's decisions.

If a citizen chooses to opt out, the government may bring in caveats, including foregoing any corresponding digital service that cannot be provided without that algorithm's decisions.

The bill is also expected to include provisions that will empower the government to prohibit certain new and emerging technologies if they are likely to cause harm to users.