Supriya Verma, B.A LL.B (H) from Christ (Deemed to be University), Delhi
ABSTRACT
Data can be broadly classified into two types: personal and non-personal data. Personal data refers to characteristics, traits and attributes of someone, which can be used to identify the individual whereas non-personal data includes aggregated data through which individuals cannot be identified. These data are collected for welfare purposes by companies. For example, information derived from multiple drivers’ locations, which is often used to analyse traffic flow, is non-personal data1. Such collection of data is no threat to anyone and can be used for welfare purposes freely. Whereas the collection of personal data by various companies and in some cases by the government itself is a huge threat for everyone.
The 21st century is an era of cyberwars where data is an ultimate weapon. Data is the ultimate power and it is possible for the smallest of businesses and even for individuals (for example through networking sites) to collect and analyse detailed information about identifiable individuals almost anywhere in the world.2 Various laws are being formed against such collection of data by the judiciary, be it by recognising privacy as a fundamental right or by giving various guidelines in different cases but there still exist certain lacunas. India has no proper data protection Act, there have been various instances where Aadhar Data was leaked and the recent issue with Pegasus software compels every citizen of the country to take charge of their privacy and VPN is a step towards that direction. This paper analyses what is VPN and why is it important for the proper implementation of the right to privacy.
