London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 13, 2026

Indian, US businesses plan to lobby against India's privacy bill

Indian, US businesses plan to lobby against India's privacy bill

India's proposed privacy bill will require firms like Google and Facebook to change their treatment of users' data.
Trade groups representing some of the world's biggest firms plan to lobby United States officials and Indian legislators in a bid to dilute parts of an Indian privacy bill which could hurt businesses, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters News Agency.

The Personal Data Protection Bill, which India's government argues is necessary to protect user privacy, will require companies such as Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook to change how they store and process Indian users' data.

Industry executives say some provisions will raise costs and compliance requirements. One provision empowers the government to ask a company to provide anonymised user data to help formulate policies, something data companies are loathed to share as it is crucial to driving business growth.

Submitted by the government last week, the bill will be reviewed by a 30-member parliamentary panel.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC), part of the US Chamber of Commerce, plans to lobby Indian parliamentarians who will review the bill and will hold meetings with key US government officials, said one source.

The council may also lead a delegation to India early next year to meet the parliamentary panel, the source added.

The sources declined to comment as the lobbying plans have not been made public.

The plans signal that India's privacy bill could deepen bilateral strains. Washington has been upset with new stringent data storage rules that affect credit card companies and has also protested against e-commerce rules which have hurt firms such as Amazon.com Inc.

Meenakshi Lekhi, the head of the parliamentary panel and a legislator from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told Reuters the committee will try to have "the widest possible consultations".

She added, however, that she will seek legal advice on "the participation" of a foreign lobby group during the panel's deliberations.

USIBC said in a statement it was assessing the bill and will engage with the government and other stakeholders "to ensure that industry perspectives on the bill are incorporated".

Another influential lobby group, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, has told its members it plans to work with other industry bodies and speak to US officials as it looks to address industry concerns on the privacy bill, a second source said.

The group said in a statement it was still assessing the bill.

India is the latest country to seek tighter control over data and domestic operations of global tech firms. Vietnam has passed a law for technology firms to store "important" personal data on users in the country. Australia last year passed a bill that gave police access to encrypted data.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
Greater Manchester Councils Gain Powers to Restrict New Vape and Betting Shops
Coroner Finds Treasury Workplace Failures Contributed to Personal Assistant’s Suicide
English and Welsh Courts Ban Meta Smart Glasses Over Recording and Privacy Risks
Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Double UK Inflation and Trigger Recession, Forecasters Warn
UK Expands Global Talent Visa Scheme to Support Research-Intensive Companies
UK Equity Funds Suffer Record One Point Six Billion Pound Outflow Amid Capital Gains Tax Fears
Three-Quarters of England Enters Drought as Fifth Summer Heatwave Raises Economic Risks
UK Hiring Stabilizes for First Time Since 2022 as Employers Adjust to Higher Payroll Costs
UK Chancellor Orders Whitehall Spending Cuts as Public Debt Exceeds Three Trillion Pounds
UK Manufacturing Output Records Fourth Straight Month of Growth
UK Condemns Russian Torture of Ukrainian Prisoners and Recruitment of Foreign Nationals
Long-Lost Royal Navy Warship HMS Tiger Found in English Channel After 118 Years
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Seeks Urgent Treasury Talks Over Regional Budget Pressures
UK Government Targets Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts in New Consumer Rules
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
×