Data marketplaces: the next frontier

Syllabus: GS- II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Rights issues, Issue: Non-Personal Data

Significance of Non-Personal Data (NPD):

• NPD, devoid of personal identifiers, is seen as a potential public good.
• Leveraging advanced analytics and AI on NPD can yield valuable insights across sectors like meteorology, disaster management, infrastructure planning etc.
• NASSCOM projects data and AI will contribute $450-500 billion to GDP by 2025.

Concerns in use of NPD

• NPD lacks regulation in India, leading to unregulated reservoirs and limited guidance on dissemination, use, and exchange.
• Kris Gopalakrishnan committee(Committee on Non-Personal Data Governance Framework) highlighted issues like de-anonymization risk, central authority institutionalization, and data ownership and sharing mechanisms.
• Risks of privacy breaches and unfair advantages for Big Tech.
• Absence of standardized governance tools complicates NPD regulation and management.

The way ahead:

• Regulatory design for data exchanges can digitize public-welfare functions, reducing administrative burdens and promoting participatory civic functions.
• Formulate a blueprint to operationalize NPD principles, providing actionable pathways and frameworks for governance in data exchanges.

Source: The Hindu