FB: Data localisation norms may make it ‘difficult’ for services in India
It is worth noting that Sherman’s comments are a reiteration of what Meta had intimated the US’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this year on India’s proposed privacy bill.
Facebook users will soon receive a notification about the changes when they go into effect on July 26.
The local storage requirements in India’s proposed Personal Data Protection Bill could make it “difficult” for Facebook’s parent Meta to provide its services in the country, a top executive said. The data bill, which is still under consideration, requires companies to store a copy of certain sensitive personal data within India and prohibits export of undefined “critical” personal data from the country.
Speaking virtually at a select media gathering on the back of Facebook announcing a redesigned and reworded privacy policy, Meta’s VP and deputy chief privacy officer, Rob Sherman said, “We have been very involved in the discussion of the Personal Data Protection Bill over the course of many years…depending on how they are implemented, local storage provisions can make it difficult for us to provide services (in India). A big part of providing services to people in India is to enable them to communicate globally”.
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Responding to The Indian Express’s queries, Sherman said that the new privacy policy does not reflect the proposed local storage requirements in the data protection bill given that it is yet to be finalised. “There are no changes in our practices reflected in the policy (with respect to local storage requirements) and it would be premature to change our policies to reflect a bill that has not yet gone through Parliament. What is happening here (with the new update) is simply a description of our existing practices and there’s no change in response to the Personal Data Protection Bill because that discussion is ongoing,” Sherman said.
It is worth noting that Sherman’s comments are a reiteration of what Meta had intimated the US’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this year on India’s proposed privacy bill. “Some countries, such as India, are considering or have passed legislation implementing data protection requirements or requiring local storage and processing of data or similar requirements that could increase the cost and complexity of delivering our services,” Meta had said in an SEC filing in February this year.
On Thursday, Meta announced changes to its privacy policy which it says will make it easier for people to understand the language of the terms in the policy. So far, the company’s privacy policy included larger chunks of text, but with the new update, it has split the policy into more subheads and has added more videos and examples to make it more accessible and readable. With the update, the company is also releasing new privacy tools, including a way to select a default audience for who can see a user’s Facebook’s post.
Facebook users will soon receive a notification about the changes when they go into effect on July 26. The company said that only in India, users will get the option to accept or ignore the notification. It also said that the privacy policy will be made available in 12 Indian languages for increasing accessibility.
Soumyarendra Barik is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, specializing in the complex and evolving intersection of technology, policy, and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he is a key voice in documenting how digital transformations impact the daily lives of Indian citizens.
Expertise & Focus Areas Barik’s reporting delves into the regulatory and human aspects of the tech world. His core areas of focus include:
The Gig Economy: He extensively covers the rights and working conditions of gig workers in India.
Tech Policy & Regulation: Analysis of policy interventions that impact Big Tech companies and the broader digital ecosystem.
Digital Rights: Reporting on data privacy, internet freedom, and India's prevalent digital divide.
Authoritativeness & On-Ground Reporting: Barik is known for his immersive and data-driven approach to journalism. A notable example of his commitment to authentic storytelling involves him tailing a food delivery worker for over 12 hours. This investigative piece quantified the meager earnings and physical toll involved in the profession, providing a verified, ground-level perspective often missing in tech reporting.
Personal Interests Outside of the newsroom, Soumyarendra is a self-confessed nerd about horology (watches), follows Formula 1 racing closely, and is an avid football fan.
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