Government considers delaying Digital India Act in favor of smaller provisions on specific issues: report

The Digital India Actwhich was to replace the Information Technology Act, 2000, is likely to be further delayed as the government considers introducing a number of sectoral laws to ensure more effective implementation.

What happened:According to a report by Moneycontrol, the Indian government is currently weighing the pros and cons of introducing a comprehensive law covering the entire technology ecosystem versus smaller laws to address specific issues.

The Digital India Bill was intended to provide a contemporary regulatory framework for the internet and artificial intelligence era, covering areas such as cybersecurity, digital governance and supervision of online intermediaries and digital platforms.

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The Ministry of Information Technology is currently assessing the most effective strategy: introducing a comprehensive law or introducing smaller pieces of legislation focusing on specific issues. For example, the government could consider separate legislation on artificial intelligence, rather than including it in a broader bill.

The Digital India Bill, in the works for more than three years, aimed to set barriers and ethical measures for the development of AI technologies. However, the bill is still awaiting publication.

The proposed bill could also include provisions authorizing the government to ban certain new and emerging technologies if they pose a potential risk to users.

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