Where Are We On The Twitter Data Privacy case?

Edited by: Vikas Mavi

25 August, 2022 (New Delhi): A parliamentary panel called the executives from Twitter India on Friday to hear their opinions on issues relating to the privacy and security of individuals’ personal data. The CEO and other executives will be heard for 30 minutes by the standing committee on communications and information technology, which is presided over by the Congress’ Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor.

What is the main issue?

Zatko, the former head of security at Twitter, claimed in his lawsuit that he forewarned his coworkers about the fact that half of the company’s servers were using the outdated and vulnerable software. 
The claims made by Zatko about the health of Twitter’s operations in India were a part of a larger report by a whistleblower criticizing the microblogging service for failing to protect its users’ data. 
Also, during a period of tumultuous protests in India, Twitter was compelled to hire operatives who would have access to a significant amount of confidential Twitter data.

Government’s stand on the issue

A number of meetings on this subject have been held by the Shashi Tharoor led panel with a variety of parties, including tech corporations, social media companies, ministries, and other regulators. The long-awaited Personal Data Protection Bill 2019, was withdrawn by the Center on August 3 in favour of a new bill that would be ready for the Budget session and have a “complete framework” and “current digital privacy legislation.”

To be able to refer these issues to the new PDP Bill, the panel will have a thorough discussion of the privacy concerns of citizens.