India’s privacy law threatens investigative journalism
News publishers have raised concerns over the new privacy law to protect the digital personal data of users, saying it can lead to the exposure of journalists’ sources and documents and create hindrances in investigative journalism.
A group of 21 news publishers have challenged India’s privacy law in the Supreme Court. Among these are Ambani’s Network18 and Gautam Adani’s NDTV, which mostly published favourable news for the incumbent Narendra Modi government.
Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) told Reuters the new law requires social media platforms and online retailers to seek consent when users sign up. For journalists, this can mean exposing their sources and putting them in danger. “Journalists cannot always seek consent from people they investigate. Doing so could allow them to destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses, the DNPA argues.
The new law comes into effect in May next year.
The 698-page petition says the law would weaken investigative journalism, reducing it to merely recording events without questioning or exposing wrongdoing. It also argues that the provisions amount to censorship before publication, which goes against the principles of democracy.
India ranks 157 out of 180 countries this year in press freedom. Its ranking has consistently fallen since 2014, even though the government remains ignorant.
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This content is published by The Siasat Daily and has not been created or edited by Hello Headlines. View original
