Media bodies warn sweeping powers threaten press freedom in India
New rules endanger journalism, weaken transparency regime: Editors Guild
New Delhi: Indian media bodies have raised serious concerns over the recently notified Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, warning that the framework endangers journalism and undermines India’s transparency regime by diluting the Right to Information Act.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Editors Guild of India said the rules fail to provide explicit safeguards for journalistic work, leaving routine reporting and investigative activities vulnerable to data-processing and consent obligations. Without clear exemptions, journalists and news organisations could face compliance burdens that may impede reporting and chill accountability journalism.
Earlier in July, S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), had assured press bodies that bona fide journalistic work would not fall under the DPDP Act. However, the Guild warned that the newly issued rules leave critical questions unresolved, with no legally tenable clarification or amendatory provision protecting journalists.
“Ambiguous obligations around consent risk exposing journalists and newsrooms to compliance burdens that may impede routine reportage,” the Guild said, emphasizing that unclear regulations could weaken press freedom and obstruct the media’s essential role in a democratic society.
The DIGIPUB News India Foundation echoed the warning, stating that the DPDP framework grants sweeping access and enforcement powers to the government while offering no statutory exemption for journalists. The organisation highlighted that the rules could further weaken India’s Right to Information regime and endanger transparency.
Media bodies have urged the MeitY to issue a clear and categorical clarification explicitly exempting bona fide journalistic activities from the consent and processing requirements of the DPDP Act, stressing that such steps are vital to preserve press freedom and ensure that journalists can continue to hold power to account.
