Virtual tokens for verifying children's data to be deleted after single use: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw

Assuring that privacy will remain central to the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on January 7 said that virtual tokens used for verifying children's data will be temporary and automatically deleted after a single use.

“The tokens will be temporary and limited to one transaction after which it will be destroyed automatically,” Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Vaishnaw said while addressing reporters.

The DPDP Rules were released for consultation on January 3 and the government is seeking feedback on it till February 18.

Under the draft rules, children under 18 will require the verifiable consent of parents or guardians before accessing social media platforms. The rules allow verification using government-issued IDs or digital tokens.

He added that the token-based system has proven effective in Aadhaar-based transactions and other verification processes.

Vaishnaw also said that the rules will continue to evolve, adapting to lessons learned during implementation to ensure children can safely benefit from technology.

“We will refine it (DPDP Rules) further to take the power of technology to children while saving them from many harm,” he said.

The provisions regarding the processing of children's data have raised eyebrows since 2023 with various Big Tech firms such as Meta, Google etc seeking changes in how children are defined in the DPDP Act.

One of the major tasks of the industry including Big Tech companies was to lower the definition of the age of children from meaning those below the age of 18 to those below the age of 14.

On restrictions on transfer of data outside country

The draft also proposes that significant data fiduciaries (SDF) cannot transfer personal data specified by the government outside the country. A committee formed by the government will recommend on the matter.

"Restrictions on cross-border transfer of data will depend on requirements of sectors. There are sectors where restrictions are required and there are some, where restrictions will not be required," Vaishnaw said.

"That is why we created a mechanism of a committee so that if a sector wants to put a restriction then that can be thoroughly examined and it can be discussed with the stakeholders and then notified," he added.