Build a compliant, accountable, and privacy-first organization under India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 is India's comprehensive privacy law governing how organizations collect, use, store, share, and protect digital personal data. The law applies to digital personal data collected online and personal data collected offline that is subsequently digitized.
Under the Act:
The DPDP Act establishes obligations for organizations processing personal data and grants individuals rights over their personal information. Regulatory oversight is provided through the Data Protection Board of India.
Safeguards for personal data processing
Empowering data principals
Transparent data practices
Mandatory safeguards required
The DPDP Act applies to a broad range of organizations that process digital personal data.
Any organization operating in India that processes personal data of customers, employees, job applicants, website visitors, vendors, or other individuals may be required to comply with the DPDP Act.
Organizations located outside India may also fall within the scope of the law if they offer products or services to individuals in India and process their personal data as part of those activities.
Most businesses that collect and use personal data are likely to be considered Data Fiduciaries under the DPDP Act. A Data Fiduciary is responsible for determining why personal data is collected and how it will be used. This includes organizations managing customer records, employee information, marketing databases, or digital platforms.
Organizations that process personal data on behalf of another organization may be considered Data Processors. Examples include cloud service providers, payroll processors, outsourced customer support providers, and technology vendors handling personal data under contractual arrangements.
Organizations that process large volumes of personal data or perform activities that may have a significant impact on individuals may be designated as Significant Data Fiduciaries. These organizations may be subject to additional governance, accountability, and compliance requirements under the law.
Organizations subject to the DPDP Act must establish policies, processes, controls, and governance mechanisms that support lawful and accountable data processing.
Personal data should be processed only for specific, lawful, and clearly communicated purposes. Organizations must ensure that data processing activities remain aligned with the purpose for which data was collected.
Where consent is required, organizations must obtain clear, informed, specific, and unambiguous consent from Data Principals. Individuals must also be able to withdraw consent with the same ease with which it was provided.
Organizations should ensure that personal data remains accurate, complete, and relevant while limiting data collection to what is necessary for the intended purpose.
Personal data should not be retained indefinitely. Organizations must establish retention practices that support lawful business purposes and delete data when it is no longer required.
Businesses must establish mechanisms that allow individuals to exercise their rights, including access, correction, erasure, consent withdrawal, and grievance redressal.
Appropriate technical and organizational measures must be implemented to protect personal data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.
Organizations must provide accessible channels through which Data Principals can submit complaints and seek resolution of privacy-related concerns.
Organizations should establish procedures to identify, investigate, respond to, and report personal data breaches in accordance with applicable requirements.
Organizations processing children's personal data may be subject to additional obligations designed to protect minors and ensure responsible data handling practices.
The DPDP Act grants individuals greater control over how their personal data is processed.
Data Principals can request information regarding the personal data being processed and obtain details about processing activities.
Individuals may request correction, updating, or completion of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Data Principals may request deletion of personal data where retention is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
Individuals can withdraw previously granted consent, requiring organizations to stop processing personal data where consent serves as the legal basis for processing.
Data Principals have the right to seek resolution of privacy-related concerns through the Data Fiduciary's grievance redressal mechanism.
Individuals may nominate another person to exercise their rights in specified circumstances.
Organizations that proactively prepare for DPDP compliance are better positioned to manage regulatory obligations and reduce compliance risks.
Responsible data handling practices strengthen trust and improve customer confidence.
Structured privacy programs help organizations identify and address privacy risks before they become larger compliance issues.
Clear governance structures improve accountability, consistency, and oversight of personal data processing activities.
DPDP compliance programs create a foundation that supports future privacy and data protection requirements.
Many organizations face practical challenges when implementing DPDP compliance requirements.
Organizations often lack visibility into what personal data they collect, where it resides, and how it is processed.
Consent collection processes may be inconsistent across business units, channels, and systems.
Disparate systems can make it difficult to manage personal data consistently and maintain compliance.
Organizations frequently struggle to establish repeatable processes for handling access, correction, erasure, and consent withdrawal requests.
Undefined retention periods can increase compliance risks and lead to unnecessary data accumulation.
Organizations must ensure that vendors, partners, and service providers process personal data responsibly and securely.
A structured compliance roadmap helps organizations establish sustainable privacy practices.
Evaluate existing privacy practices, controls, policies, and governance mechanisms.
Create an inventory of personal data assets, processing activities, and data flows.
Define accountability structures, policies, responsibilities, and oversight mechanisms.
Develop privacy notices, consent management processes, and transparency measures.
Implement procedures and workflows to support individual rights requests.
Continuously assess compliance effectiveness and adapt to evolving regulatory requirements.
Evaluate existing privacy practices against DPDP requirements, identify compliance gaps, and prioritize remediation activities.
Develop visibility into personal data assets, processing activities, and data flows across the organization.
Design and implement consent collection, management, and withdrawal mechanisms aligned with regulatory expectations.
Develop privacy notices, policies, procedures, and supporting documentation that enhance transparency and accountability.
Establish workflows and operational procedures for managing Data Principal rights requests.
Assess vendors, service providers, and business partners that process personal data.
Build governance structures, accountability models, and privacy management frameworks tailored to organizational requirements.
Support organizations through monitoring, assessments, program maintenance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Organizations engaging Privacy Global may receive:
DPDP Gap Assessment Report
Compliance Roadmap
Personal Data Inventory
Data Flow Maps
Privacy Notices
Consent Management Framework
Data Retention Schedule
Rights Management Procedures
Governance Documentation
Risk Assessment Reports
Vendor Assessment Templates
Breach Response Procedures
Manage customer onboarding data, KYC records, financial information, consent management processes, third-party data sharing arrangements, and privacy governance obligations across highly regulated financial environments.
Support the responsible handling of patient information, employee records, healthcare service data, consent management processes, and privacy controls across healthcare operations.
Strengthen privacy practices for customer accounts, loyalty programs, online transactions, digital marketing activities, customer analytics, and cross-channel data collection.
Embed privacy governance into digital products, applications, cloud environments, software platforms, customer onboarding processes, and data lifecycle management activities.
Support the governance of subscriber information, customer communications data, service usage records, consent management requirements, and third-party ecosystem relationships.
Establish privacy controls for employee information, supplier records, customer databases, operational systems, and business processes involving personal data.
Experienced privacy professionals supporting DPDP and global privacy programs.
Automation across data discovery, consent management, risk assessments, and governance workflows.
From readiness assessments and implementation to ongoing compliance monitoring.
Support for DPDP alongside GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, PDPA, and other privacy regulations.
Privacy Global helps organizations establish practical, scalable, and sustainable privacy programs aligned with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Whether you are beginning your compliance journey or strengthening an existing privacy program, our experts can help assess readiness, address compliance gaps, and operationalize privacy governance across your organization.