Digital Privacy: An Engineering Challenge

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) Digital privacy concerns should be addressed primarily at the engineering level rather than placing the burden on end users, a senior official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said on Thursday.

Speaking at Google's 'Safe and Trusted AI' event, Vikash Chourasia, Scientist at MeitY, said that privacy-enhancing technologies represent the "core engine" for implementing data protection and ensuring trust in digital systems.

Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) are tools that help protect personal data while using digital systems. They limit how much information is collected or shared by using methods like encryption, anonymisation, or differential privacy, keeping user data private by design.

"I believe privacy is a problem which probably could be resolved at the engineering level more than at the user level. Because the user is the end consumer, who can probably consume something which ...unfortunately, was in the process of drafting," Chourasia said.

Citing the example of one-time passwords (OTPs), he explained how security mechanisms can lose purpose if not technically well-integrated. Earlier, OTPs served as a second factor because they came to a separate device. Whereas now, both the banking operation and OTP access happen on the same phone, reducing effectiveness, he noted.

Referring to India's recent notification of data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), Chourasia said MeitY's immediate priority is to promote PET adoption through collaboration with academic institutions and industry.

Chourasia said India is a "privacy-conscious society" and urged businesses to treat compliance not merely as an obligation but as an opportunity to build trust and competitiveness.

Highlighting the potential of open-source technologies and local innovation, he said small and medium enterprises can leverage open tools to strengthen privacy and security systems.

According to Chourasia, MeitY plans further engagements with academic partners, including some meetings scheduled in Chennai in the coming days, to expand awareness and capability-building around PET deployment.