Data for development @ G20

India should consider proposing a collaborative global framework to drive efficient use and secure exchange of data for socioeconomic change

The G20 presidency offers India a unique and strategic opportunity to set global agenda that is progressive, aspirational, and inclusive. Considering its success in using digital technologies for driving economic growth as well as advancing social equity, inclusion, and development India should consider proposing Data for Development (D4D) as one of the priority agendas or themes.

“It is important that data can and must be used for development including the pursuit of social equity and inclusion, economic growth and sustainability.”

This is also a logical evolution of digital transformation, one of the three priority issues of the ensuing Indonesian presidency of G20. Moreover, synergistic diplomatic endeavours may find resonance as India will also assume leadership of both the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in quick succession to the commencement of the G20 Presidency.

Setting up the tone

Organisations across sectors and domainsare deploying digital technologies around the world. In the process, an enormous amount of data is generated, transmitted, processed and consumed. Traditionally the preserve of a few elite organisations and under the command of a few technical experts, data is being democratised.

Data types may vary but their usage is even more diverse. For example, businesses can use data for customised products, pricing and advertisements; civil society can use data to track progress and demand accountability; and, the governments can use it for identifying policy priorities and budget allocations as well as monitor and evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of various programmes and projects.

It is also important that data can and must be used for development including the pursuit of social equity and inclusion, economic growth and sustainability. At the same time, there are concerns about issues such as privacy, surveillance, competition, misrepresentation, and even exclusion.Hence, a conducive and consensus governance framework must be developed, adopted and deployed by G20 members based on shared values and common understanding as well as rule-based global order.

The Digital India programme has been instrumental in driving the data revolution in the country, with one of the lowest mobile data rates and the highest data consumption globally. In addition to the policy frameworks for data sharing and accessibility, National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), BharatNet, PM-WANI, Digital Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA), Account Aggregators (AA), and Responsible Artificial Intelligence are also worth highlighting.

India can share its experience of the decadal census, national sample survey office (NSSO), National Family Health Survey (NFHS) as well as transformative programmes like Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Electronic Transaction Aggregation and Analysis Layer (e-TAAL), CoWIN, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and the upcoming Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Defining the data

Data is an artefact to represent, observe, record, explain or convey information, describe quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted. Digital data is information that has been translated into a form amenable to electronic sensing, transmission, storage or processing.

A governance framework for use of data must be developed and adopted by G20 members based on shared values, common understanding, and rule-based global order.

Often referred to as the three Vs, the velocity, volume, and variety of data have been growing exponentially as it traverses within and across national boundaries. However, another two Vs– veracity and vitality – are equally, if not more important.Moreover, it is non-rivalrous in nature even as it is often compared to oil or gold, thanks to its underlying or potential value.

Data that directly or indirectly identify an individual is considered Personal Data (PD). Else, it is considered Non-personal Data (NPD). However, there are other ways to classify data as well. These include but are not limited to at-restand in-transit data; on-the-edgeand in-the-cloud data; encrypted and unencrypted data; structured and unstructured data.

It also includeslow-frequencyand high-frequency data; real-time and historical data; national and transnational data.Other classifications like physical and physiological data; public sector and private sector data; individual and community data; raw and processed data; and observed and synthetic data.

This mutually exclusive binary is useful in appreciating different aspects of data but the divisions at times blur. For example, interlinking multiple aggregated anonymised datasets that are traditionally regarded as non-personal data can re-identify individuals with up to 90% accuracy. Hence, such classifications must be used with caution and context.

The D4D policy framework

For any governmental initiative to take root and bear fruit, a framework defining the need and approach is critical. In addition to the generic principles of data protection such as accountability and transparency, the D4D policy framework must also include attributes like pervasiveness, privacy, security, public-private partnership, etc.

D4D entails the transmission and sharing of data across silos and borders and hence, utmost care must be taken to ensure privacy protection.

Pervasive:The policy must facilitate universal, ubiquitous generation and use of data across all spheres of life. It should also ensure that vulnerable, marginalised or deprived individuals, communities or regions are not excluded, misrepresented or under-represented while also mitigating potential biases.

Productive: It must incentivise and ensure affordable and participative access to data for legitimate purposes allowing innovations by one and all.

Privacy-preserving:D4D inevitably entails the transmission and sharing of data across silos and borders. Hence, utmost care must be taken to ensure privacy protection throughout the data lifecycle, a fundamental right. The approach should include privacy by design. This should also apply even if the case of cross-border data flows through trusted mechanisms.

Protected: Data must be protected against unauthorised access, use, sharing or interlinkages. Accordingly, suitable frameworks for cyber security must be adopted and data centres hosting critical data must be treated as Protected Systems.

Planned resilience: Considering dependence on data for almost everything, data transmission and storage must be planned to ensure the resilience of the infrastructure and access, irrespective of natural disasters, accidents, sabotage or cuts in cable or power supply disruptions.

Participative:The policy framework must be developed through an open, participative and inclusive consultation process allowing the participation of all the stakeholders.

Public-Private Partnerships:The policy framework should facilitate and encourage voluntary partnerships across the public sector, private sector and civil society.

Programme support: Members need to discuss and decide frameworks around competition, cooperation and capacity building.

Going ahead, India must seize this opportunity to design, develop and deploy a cooperative, collaborative, and consistent global framework in the broader pursuit of Data for Development. G20 Presidency is a good place to seed the thought and build consensus even as the road ahead is not exactly straight.

By Deepak Maheshwari

Deepak Maheshwari is Senior Visiting Fellow at ICRIER

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