Digital Citizenship And Data Privacy In India: Constitutional Promises And Emerging Challenges
- IJLLR Journal
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Divyanshu Yadav, University of Lucknow
ABSTRACT
What it means to be a citizen in the twenty first century has been changed by India's swift digitalization of identity systems, governance, and daily communication. Digital citizenship now not only confined to using of technology but to also protect citizens data online. It is no longer only about having access to technology. Concerns about growing digital inequality, regulatory independence, and surveillance exemptions still exist. In order to preserve dignity, autonomy, and constitutional freedoms in the digital age, this essay explores the changing notion of digital citizenship, assesses current legal safeguards, and makes the case for a rights based, citizen centric data governance framework.
Introduction
Citizenship is the legal membership of a country that comes with several rights, duties, and privileges. In India, article 5 of the Constitution lay down the necessary conditions to be a citizen and other articles specifies rights and protection given to the citizens. But with the advent of technology citizens not only need to be protected in person but also in the digital sphere. Participation of citizens in online activities like transactions, mailing, using of internet and websites created another identity on the internet which needs to be protected in the same way as in the state. That another identity is known as Digital Citizenship, which simply means the safe, secure and responsible use of technology.
However, maintaining a balance between technical advancement and individual freedom becomes crucial in an era where personal data powers both administration and business. In order to guarantee those citizens’ rights are upheld both online and offline, this essay contends that digital citizenship and data privacy are important to contemporary constitutionalism and that India's constitutional values must now be applied to the digital realm.
