India wants to rein in data collection

The government is poised to pass its first major data privacy law, forcing companies like Amazon and Facebook to seek explicit permission for most uses of an individual’s personal data and making it easier for people to demand that their data be erased.

The measure would create a powerful agency to write rules, enforce them and settle disputes. But it has fewer restrictions on the government’s use of personal data — like the fingerprint and iris scans that are part of the Aadhaar national ID system and its detailed surveys of who receives government benefits.

Big picture: The measure brings India closer to China in its tight regulation of the internet. Increasingly, governments are writing their own rules for privacy, security and free speech, while offering protection for homegrown companies. It’s making it more difficult for multinational internet companies to operate freely across the world.