By – Ms Chitra Iyer, Co-founder and CEO of Space2Grow
“The DPDP rules have been much awaited. Speaking of specifically Section 9—protecting children’s data—the rules are not very prescriptive and gives enough freedom, for platforms to choose options and processes. This flexibility demands higher accountability from platforms. Without easy and accessible mechanisms for verifiable parental consent from parents, many children may resort to falsifying their age to bypass this or will increase the digital divide. Shifting the burden of proof from parents to platforms is important, and for this, the platforms must prioritise accessible and reliable consent processes to truly uphold children’s data privacy and safety online.”