Government initiatives have brought millions online, digital payment systems process billions of transactions, and smartphones have become ubiquitous even in remote villages. (Representational image)
Kahaan Mehta
Debargha Roy
Mar 25, 2025 12:10 IST First published on: Mar 25, 2025 at 12:10 IST
India has gained remarkable speed in its digital transformation. Government initiatives have brought millions online, digital payment systems process billions of transactions, and smartphones have become ubiquitous even in remote villages. Yet, this technological revolution has created a peculiar paradox: We’re producing millions of “data subjects” without cultivating informed digital citizens. While experts debate the nuances of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the proposed Rules, the average Indian remains disconnected from conversations about their own digital rights.
Digital citizens or digital serfs?
This disconnect isn’t merely a regulatory challenge—it reflects deeper cultural and philosophical questions about personhood in the digital age. When millions click “I agree” on digital platforms daily, they surrender their agency without access to the necessary context and background to understand its implications. The crucial question before us isn’t just how to regulate data, but how to cultivate data rights awareness that empowers Indians to navigate their digital lives with dignity and autonomy.
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Currently, India’s approach is primarily top-down, with technical experts and policymakers leading conversations that rarely extend beyond conference rooms and policy circles. Albeit important, to meaningfully achieve citizen empowerment, data rights awareness must take centre stage.
Beyond jargon: Data rights literacy
Data rights awareness isn’t an abstract ideal—it offers transformative potential at multiple levels. At the individual level, it converts passive data subjects into active digital citizens. Estonia offers a compelling example, where citizens can track which government officials accessed their data and why, creating transparency and accountability. At the societal level, awareness reshapes power dynamics between citizens, corporations, and the state. In Germany, consumer protection organizations routinely challenge tech giants’ data practices, helping balance asymmetric relationships in the digital ecosystem.
The economic impacts are equally significant. Post-GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), Europe has witnessed the rise of privacy-focused alternatives to mainstream digital services, driving innovation through consumer demand for better privacy practices. At the governance level, public engagement ensures data protection regulations serve their intended purpose, as demonstrated in Canada, where citizen feedback and advocacy have strengthened the Privacy Act.
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Making data rights a national priority
Cultivating this awareness requires a multi-stakeholder approach. Our educational institutions currently prepare students for the digital economy without equipping them with ethical navigation skills. We need mandatory digital rights and hygiene education in school curricula from elementary levels, university programs that transcend disciplinary boundaries, and teacher training programs that create digital rights advocates.
Media and entertainment hold untapped potential in this arena. Popular culture is a powerful force in shaping public consciousness. Filmmakers and content creators should incorporate digital rights themes into their work, developing localised, relatable narratives that translate abstract concepts into everyday scenarios. Establishing media awards recognising excellence in digital rights reporting and storytelling could accelerate this cultural shift.
Civil society organisations forming coalitions with government support for resources across diverse interest groups would enhance advocacy efforts, particularly in incorporating perspectives from minority groups who may encounter unique privacy challenges. The private sector must transcend mere compliance and embrace responsibility by developing intuitive, user-friendly consent mechanisms that enhance understanding rather than obscure it. By investing in privacy-enhancing technologies as market differentiators, they can create transparent data practices that build trust instead of exploiting information asymmetries.
We can learn from international success stories. Taiwan has adopted a collaborative approach to digital rights education, making data rights awareness a core competency in its Digital Competence Framework, which encourages citizens to actively participate in data governance discussions. Finland has integrated data rights education into digital well-being, teaching privacy as an essential component of digital health rather than just technical compliance.
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Moving forward requires reframing privacy as a personal autonomy and challenging the “nothing to hide” fallacy. Connecting data rights to existing cultural values and constitutional principles would make abstract concepts more relatable. We should develop metrics to measure awareness levels and track progress over time. Perhaps most importantly, we must make the ethical dimensions of data governance an accessible conversation for all citizens.
The journey from dormant to dominant awareness requires sustained effort, cultural shifts, and institutional commitment. The potential rewards are substantial: A digital ecosystem that respects human dignity fosters innovation and distributes power equitably. India has the opportunity to develop a data governance model that draws on its democratic traditions while addressing contemporary challenges. The critical choice before us is clear: Will Indians embrace digital technologies as informed, empowered citizens or remain passive data subjects? The answer depends on our collective commitment to making data rights awareness a cultural imperative, not just a policy goal.
The writers are Research Fellows at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi
