Building a Data Responsible Nation – India Data Summit 2018

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Humanizing Government, Transforming Lives Through Focused Industry Solutions Build on AI, IoT, Security, Analytics and Blockchain Technologies.

Building a Data Responsible Nation

The India Data Summit, an initiative by India Today Group, Invest India and IBM, was organized on Tuesday, 11th September 2018 at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi. The India Data Summit brought together some of the best thinkers and practitioners of the Indian digital universe on a single platform to deliberate on how data can be leveraged for India’s march towards a trillion-dollar digital economy and improved governance while recognizing the need for principles towards responsible use of data. Four key areas discussed at length with government think-tanks, industry and academia during the summit included: Perspectives on Data Protection & Responsibility

• Data as a Fuel for Growth
• Using Data and AI – Paving the Way for Innovation, and
• Data Privacy – Disrupting Policies and Regulations

The Summit also offered a demo showcase illustrating IBM’s expertise in focused industry solutions built on AI, IoT, Security, Analytics and blockchain technologies. Kickstarting the event, , spoke to a packed house on importance of data for countries, specific focus on India, and how IBM continues to protect client data as technology evolves. Data privacy is an imperative, and one that each country must address in its own way. And for India to continue to lead the data economy, the country must implement a model of data protection regime that fosters trust and India puts in place the regime in partnership with industry,” she said. Following the keynote, the inaugural address was delivered by Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, who spoke about Data as the driver of future growth and evolution for governments, businesses and societies. “The Indian government has stepped on accelerated use of technology in various spheres and it is allowing us to execute our socio-economic development ambitions far more speedily than ever before,” he stated. Reiterating the Indian government’s commitment to adopt data-driven solutions for development projects, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “India aims to become a USD 5 trillion data economy by 2025.” Pointing out that the Government should work as an enabler to unlock the potential of rich data sets, he added, “We don’t believe in storing data privately. We will shortly be launching a citizen-centric data analytics portal which everyone — from start-ups, research institutes to academicians — can use for their benefit.”

Arvind Krishna, SVP-Hybrid Cloud and Director of IBM Research, mentioned that Data driven AI is the next revolution to impact our lives by optimizing decisions about everything. “For harnessing data, organizations need to learn from less data, embed security and ethics and be able to explain decision making process of algorithms,” he said. Drawing attention to the criticality of data protection, Ajay Sawhney, Secretary – Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said, “Among the key recommendations in the Justice BN Srikrishna committee report is that the laws should have a modified consent framework, making the data fiduciary liable for harm caused to the data principal.” , Managing Director, IBM India noted, “While the Indian government is doing its bit to help India harness its edge in data, at IBM, we have the input to help governments make the best use of their intellectual assets.” At the day’s first discussion on , panelists included Stephen Braim, VP – Govt & Regulatory Affairs, IBM Asia Pacific; Dr. Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, Govt of India; Rama Vedashree, CEO, DSCI and Srinivas Poosarla, Vice President and Head (Global), Privacy and Data Protection, Infosys Ltd.

The Justice Srikrishna Committee report on crafting India’s data protection law formed one of the main points of discourse among the panelists. “Onerous compliance for cross border data flow can deny nations access to technology and potentially limit risk mitigation and business continuity plans,” Braim said, referring to the recommendations on data localization in the Justice Srikrishna Committee report. While experts have recommended creating a national structure for cybersecurity, the role of a central cybersecurity coordinator remains undefined. Where does the buck stop in preventing cyber crime? Responding to this observation, Dr Rai asserted, “Technology tools can provide cover to only 50 per cent of the product. Preventing data breaches is about handling three factors — people, processes and technology. If you have relevantly skilled people, it is possible to control both processes and technology.”

Speakers at the following session on included Karan Bajwa, MD, IBM India; Vivek Biyani, Director, Future Group; Arjun Singh, MD, Yodlee Asia; Anil Kaul, Co-founder & CEO, Abolutdata Analytics; Dr Tapati Bandhopadhyay, GM and Global Practice Head, Wipro Holmes and Monica Aggarwal, Vice President, IBM India Systems Development Lab. Elaborating on how real-time data is proving to be a game changer for customerfacing industries, Vivek Biyani said, “For us retailers, the focus has started moving from data to customer and what is important for the consumer.”

Offering a future outlook on data sophistication, Dr Bandhopadhyay stated, “High Karan Bajwa Perspectives on Data Protection & Responsibility Leading by Example — Data as a computing power coupled with data and evolved algorithms are delivering real life results. As the maturity levels around machine learning and computer vision rise, the impact on the top line will grow stronger.” formed the theme of the third panel discussion. Prof K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor, Govt of India’s address highlighted the paradigm shift in the role of technology in governance. “To the traditional pillars of democracy — Civil Society, Government, Industry — Science and Technology have been added as the new bulwarks,” he said.

The session also featured a Fireside Chat between Harriet Green, CEO & Chairman, IBM Asia Pacific, Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Dept of Industrial Policy, Govt of India, and R Chandrashekhar, former Secretary, Ministries of Electronics & IT and Telecom, and Former President, NASSCOM. The three-way discussion explored a roadmap for the adoption of AI in India. “The government is focusing AI + Data as a trillion dollar economy,” Abhishek said. “The new industrial policy will look into AI adoption in detail; a task force has been set up for this purpose,” he informed the audience. Panelists at the final session – – discussed how a digitized India can develop an indigenous regulatory framework that boosts innovation, but also minimizes privacy risks. Dr. Prashant Pradhan, CTO – IBM Asia Pacific’s opening remarks on Privacy by Design and Security called attention to the worldwide impact privacy concerns are having on technology and solutions development process. Jörn Wittmann, MD, Self and Co-Regulation for an Optimised Policy Environment in Europe; Prof. MS Acharyulu, Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, India; Arghya Sengupta, Founder, Vidhi Centre of Legal Policy, Srinivas Poosarla, Vice President and Head (Global), Privacy and Data Protection, Infosys Ltd., and Cristina Cabella, Data Protection Officer and Chief Privacy Officer, IBM were the session’s panelists. “The world of tomorrow will be built and fueled by data; we must find ways to have an enhanced level of accountability and responsibility for the processing of the data,” Cristina Cabella said. The panelists agreed that data protection could not be designed as an absolute right and had to be balanced against other national interests, especially in the complex Indian ecosystem. A sentiment echoed by Prativa Mohapatra – VP Sales IBM India, as she summarized the Summit’s key outcomes. “While global examples offer much in the way of best practices, government, civil society and private organizations need to collaborate on tailored approaches and solutions for India,” she concluded