Explained: What is the Digital India Act, the cornerstone of India’s upcoming ‘Techade’

In a recent tweet, the Chief Minister of Assam, Hemant Biswa Sarma said that AI tools like ChatGPT for health care diagnosis needs effective regulation because it is prone to hallucinations. To this, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology responded, saying, that the upcoming Digital India Act will ensure that AI platforms will be responsible to ensure no user harm is created - intentionally or unintentionally.

CM of Assam @himantabiswa is absolutely right - the usecases of Chatgpt in particular n AI in general shd be chosen very carefully n ONLY where theres no risk of harm to any users.

In the works is #DigitalIndiaAct that will ensure that AI platforms will be responsble to ensure… https://t.co/S5zJJWCgVc

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 27, 2023

While the Digital India Act will have provisions for how AI is used and developed in the Indian context, what applications it will be allowed for, and under what parameters will AI be allowed to develop and function, it has a much broader concept. The need to replace/update the Information Technology Act Over the years since the implementation of the IT Act of 2000, several revisions and amendments (such as the IT Act Amendment of 2008 and IT Rules 2011) have been made in an effort to define and regulate the digital space. These changes aimed to place greater emphasis on data handling policies. [caption id=“attachment_12795032” align=“alignnone” width=“750”] Image Credit: Freepik | Graphic credit: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] However, due to its initial focus on protecting e-commerce transactions and defining cybercrime offences, the IT Act did not adequately address the complexities of the current cybersecurity landscape or adequately safeguard data privacy rights. Simply put, the Indian IT Act in its current provisions, did not have the teeth to deal with the Internet and the Digital World of 2023. What is the Digital India Act? The Digital India Act 2023 is a forthcoming law designed to replace the Information Technology Act of 2000 in India. Its primary objective is to establish a comprehensive structure for governing the digital realm. It will be applicable to all tech-based businesses whose services or products are available in India. The proposed legislation will address various subjects including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybercrime, data protection, deep fakes, competition concerns pertaining to internet platforms, and online security. Additionally, the act will re-evaluate the notion of safe harbour, which grants social media platforms immunity from responsibility for user-generated content. [caption id=“attachment_12795022” align=“alignnone” width=“750”] Image Credit: Freepik | Graphic credit: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] The Digital India Act, or the DIA is going to be one of the most important pieces of legislation to have been passed in years. Not only will it be the basis upon which various other tech-based legislations be developed, but it is also a cornerstone of PM Modi’s Digital India Goals 2026. If India is to become a $1 trillion economy, it will have to do so by emerging as the go-to destination for all things tech. It has to position itself at the centre of global innovation and have a world-class entrepreneurship system. Only then, will it be able to shape the future of emerging technologies. If everything goes as per plan, and if there aren’t many revisions or changes to the draft that has been prepared by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is supposed to be passed as legislation by the end of July or August. What will the new Digital India Act entail? From something as rudimentary as how social media platforms regulate hate speech and fake information to more complex subjects AI, the DIA will have provisions for everything. And while the end users, the people of India will be at the centre of DIA, MeitY will also have to balance it in a way that ensures that India leads the world when developing new technology. Minister Chandrasekhar best explained the Digital India Act, while speaking to Moneycontrol. He said, “The Digital India Act will follow a principle-based approach, while the accompanying rules will be more specific and detailed. For instance, if we have 10 types of platforms classified into 10 categories, each category will have a set of clear and precise rules. These rules will outline what actions are prohibited and what actions are required.” He added, “For example, fintech platforms will have distinct rules, governed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), with MeitY emphasizing the reporting of cybersecurity breaches. On the other hand, social media intermediaries will have more extensive rules. Online gaming platforms may also have comprehensive rules, but they will differ from those applied to social media intermediaries.” What will be the goals of the new DIA? Keeping in mind the end users, or the people of India, the DIA has a few basic goals. It aims to allow for an open internet, one that is diverse, easily and fairly accessible and allows ease of doing business and ensures easy compliance. The DIA also aims to foster online safety and trust, especially for women and children. For that, it will not only look at harm in the physical sense but also how it impacts mental health, whether a service or piece of tech is highly addictive, especially for children. The DIA also aims to ensure that online platforms are accountable in whatever they do and ensure a certain quality of service. And finally, it aims to set up new adjudicatory and appellate mechanisms that are easily accessible and deliver timely remedies to citizens for online civil and criminal offences. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook_,_  Twitter and  Instagram_._