From classroom to cloud: Why data privacy must be a core pillar of modern higher education

By Dr Amarnath Mitra, Associate Professor, Information Systems and Analytics, FORE School of Management, New Delhi & Gurugram

As India rapidly digitises its economy and public services, data has emerged as the most valuable resource for the new-age firms. Businesses across digital platforms generate, process, and store vast volumes of proprietary and personal data. In this context, protection of consumer data and data privacy is no longer a peripheral compliance issue; it has become an integral part of business processes, particularly after the enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

The DPDP Act, 2023 marks India’s first comprehensive framework for personal data protection. It establishes clear principles such as lawful purpose, data minimisation, consent-based processing, purpose limitation, data accuracy, and accountability. The DPDP Act, 2023 has transformed data protection from a voluntary best practice into a statutory obligation.

Privacy as pedagogy, not just ...