Twitter and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday. A microblogging site and a railway ticketing app have been called upon to discuss concerns about “data security and privacy of citizens”. The parliamentary meeting comes days after the Center withdrew the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019. Now it will be replaced with a new bill.
A parliamentary committee headed by Tharoor will question Twitter about its management and structure, sources told PTI. It can also be questioned whether the social media platform favors a particular political party.
Meanwhile, IRCTC, which has over 10 crore users, has hired a consultant to monetize passenger data. The panel may seek answers as to the reason for appointing a consultant. IRCTC may also be asked about the tenders floated for consultant jobs, sources said.
According to sources, the panel headed by Tharoor is holding meetings with various stakeholders on data security and privacy. These include tech companies, social media firms, ministries and other regulators. The panel is likely to finalize its report before August 30.
Earlier this month, the Union government led by Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav announced the withdrawal of the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019. The legislation will now be replaced by a “comprehensive bill to modernize digital privacy laws”.
