Apps to walk on Aadhaar lines! Ought to collect minimal data

Bengaluru, July 18: Hold on before you enter any details on apps. If you do so think again! In the wake of growing misleads and misinformation in this digital world, the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) pitched in to collect minimal data from apps just like UIDAI does to give 12-digit Aadhar numbers to people.

 

Some apps are ridiculously collecting more-than-required data and the customers are unaware of what is being done with it. So to alert people from getting involved in some distorted activity and have a simple and sorted detail providing system, TRAI Chairman R S Sharma pointed out that it is better to enable the Aadhaar format in the app system to avoid mis-happenings.

TRAI Chief Sharma informed that like for Aadhar enrollment, we collect just four sets of data - your name, date of birth and your communication address. Nothing more, nothing less! Similarly, every app must collect as much data as is required.

Data minimization should be one of the principles just as Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) adopts to collect data of people. TRAI had noted that the existing framework of data protection of telecom consumers is "not sufficient" and that all entities in the digital ecosystem which handle personal data should be brought under a data protection framework.

These recommendations are expected to have wide-reaching implications for tech giants like Apple and Facebook as well as apps like Paytm.

In order to protect consumer interest, this protection framework will enable the apps to only get the necessary information and reserve the interest of the people. This will also help avoid unnecessary digital mishaps and imbalance. The DoT had the jurisdiction to protect consumers’ interest in the telecom sector and would enable every step with the government knowing about the developments.

The step is taken as there was a regulatory imbalance because these entities are not following any law and till the government comes up with a broad framework, it is but judicious to apply telecom rules on them.