India’s proposed Personal Data Protection Bill was presented before Parliament Wednesday and will be reviewed by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, Reuters reports. The bill, which proposes a data protection authority and would regulate how data of Indian users is stored, processed and transferred, “gives a semblance of owning your data, and having the right to know how it is used, to the individual, but at the same time it provides carte blanche to the government,” TechLegis Advocates & Solicitors Partner Salman Waris said. The bill includes a provision empowering the government to request technology companies to provide user data and requiring social media platforms to offer user verification. It also states government agencies can be exempt from the law “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India,” raising concerns among legal experts. 
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