MeitY unveils DEPA handbook to enable trusted data sharing for AI training

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a handbook on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) for AI training, an official release said Saturday.

The handbook outlines a techno-legal framework that allows institutions to collaborate on data for AI training while keeping control of their data.

IT Secretary S Krishnan unveiled the handbook, which was developed with support from the iSPIRT Foundation, at a roundtable in Bengaluru.

"The framework combines contractual permissions, controlled computing environments and privacy-enhancing safeguards. It also incorporates data provenance, enabling the origin, permissions and use of data to be traced throughout the training process, supporting accountability and transparency," the release said.

As AI becomes central to economic and social development, access to diverse, high-quality data is critical.

Yet concerns around privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property and institutional control often limit data sharing, the release said adding DEPA training addresses these challenges.

"India's AI ambitions must be matched by the ability to use data responsibly and securely," Krishnan said, adding that MeitY is committed to taking the framework forward.

Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood explained that under DEPA, the model travels to the data rather than the reverse.

He said this enables multi-party and cross-border collaboration, and described DEPA as India's contribution to global science diplomacy.

The roundtable drew representatives from government, industry, academia, research among other stakeholders.