Government may propose up to Rs 500 crore fine for violating Digital India Bill rules

According to sources, the government is going to suggest a fine of up to Rs 500 crore for breaking the Digital India Bill's rules.

The Center may authorize any government agency to monitor and collect traffic data that is generated, sent, received, or stored in any digital system under the proposed legislation in order to improve cyber security.

Additionally, it seeks to locate, examine, and stop the transmission of viruses or malware.

To replace the current IT Act, which was passed more than 22 years ago during the early days of the internet, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) has been working on the draft of the Digital India Bill.

According to the source, "The Digital India Bill may include a provision of a penalty of up to Rs 500 crore on entities for breach of obligations."

According to the sources, the new Digital India Authority, which will handle complaints, will determine the severity of the penalty.

Before deciding on a final penalty amount, the authority may need to consider a number of variables, including the severity, the number of users affected, and the length of time each user was affected.

Civil courts are unlikely to have jurisdiction over disputes arising under the proposed Act, and organizations dissatisfied with the Digital India Authority's planned decision may choose to appeal it to the Supreme Court, according to the sources.

According to them, the proposed bill will probably identify and define the many types of harm that a victim might sustain in the digital environment.

It's likely to identify and criminalize offenses like dog whistling, cyber squatting, astroturfing, and doxing, among others. In response to the difficulties presented by the advancement of artificial intelligence, the sources noted, the bill is likely to establish standards to regulate the development and application of such technologies.