• About Us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

    CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

    Conference on strengthening statistical systems tomorrow

    Conference on strengthening statistical systems tomorrow

    I&B Ministry launches vigilance compendium ‘Satark’

    I&B Ministry launches vigilance compendium ‘Satark’

    RECPDCL transfers two transmission SPVs to PGCIL

    RECPDCL transfers two transmission SPVs to PGCIL

    Startups in the North Eastern region: Fueling growth with govt support

    Startups in the North Eastern region: Fueling growth with govt support

    IIS Officer Samrat Bandopadhyay wins “Megastar” title at NPTEL IIT Madras

    IIS Officer Samrat Bandopadhyay wins “Megastar” title at NPTEL IIT Madras

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Governance
  • India
  • Digital
  • Industry
  • Infrastructure
  • Economy
  • PSE
  • Health
  • E Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

    CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

    Conference on strengthening statistical systems tomorrow

    Conference on strengthening statistical systems tomorrow

    I&B Ministry launches vigilance compendium ‘Satark’

    I&B Ministry launches vigilance compendium ‘Satark’

    RECPDCL transfers two transmission SPVs to PGCIL

    RECPDCL transfers two transmission SPVs to PGCIL

    Startups in the North Eastern region: Fueling growth with govt support

    Startups in the North Eastern region: Fueling growth with govt support

    IIS Officer Samrat Bandopadhyay wins “Megastar” title at NPTEL IIT Madras

    IIS Officer Samrat Bandopadhyay wins “Megastar” title at NPTEL IIT Madras

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Governance
  • India
  • Digital
  • Industry
  • Infrastructure
  • Economy
  • PSE
  • Health
  • E Magazine
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Digital

The Public Good Dilemma in Non-Personal Data Sharing

Nivedita by Nivedita
January 28, 2021
in Digital, Governance, My View
0
The Public Good Dilemma in Non-Personal Data Sharing
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

If non-personal data in any form is to be considered as public good to be utilized for public benefit, the expert committee report on Non Personal Data Governance Framework needs to re-evaluate the nature of data to internalize the externalities created through such interpretation.

By Shubhangi Heda

The recently released revised report of the expert committee on Non Personal Data Governance Framework, laudably proposes a framework for sharing non-personal data for public interest purposes. For this, the committee specifically focuses on high value datasets(HVD) as specific datasets of non-personal data which are beneficial to community and would be shared as a public good, subject to certain guidelines as prescribed by the report.

In this context, it is imperative to analyse the claim of HVD as a ‘public good’ to assess related externalities, costs and misalignment of incentives that may flow from such a framework. There is no fixed resource attribution that is given to data yet and the economics around it is still evolving. For example, United Kingdom is now proposing to treat data as an infrastructure, wherein data is considered as an important source for designing and improving existing infrastructures, for example in the case of smart cities.

European Union has classified data as an ‘experience good’, considering that its value changes and varies with each use creating different value for each user. On the other hand, United States sees data as a capital asset such that the company which collects the data has a right in it.While India has proposed for specific HVD useful for community benefit to be a ‘public good’.

Conceptually public goods are non-rivalrous and non-excludable in nature. However, the form in which non-personal data currently exists with private companies makes it non-rival and yet excludable due to existing intellectual property rights and its commercial value for businesses. This makes non-personal data a ‘club good’ or ‘impure public good’.Thus, in order to transition this data from ‘club good’ to ‘public good’, would involve transitions costs and externalities, which necessitates assessment of very nature of data as ‘public good’.

This is specifically important as ex-ante assessment of social benefit accruing from data is difficult. While the report intends that the benefits derived from data access would be available to larger community, however, certain excludability may emerge in instances of data usage by businesses creating chargeable public benefits. In such cases, the mandatory sharing of HVD (with only caveat of adjudication by Non-Personal Data Authority) on the basis of it achieving ‘common good’ without internalizing costs and externalities associated with public good becomes problematic.

Also somewhere underlying this argument is also an assumption that the markets are not capable of providing public benefits, which presents the need for regulatory intervention. However, globally including India, data sharing practices by companies are emerging, thus there is greater need of evidence collection and assessment to establish market failures, if any.

The report has also justified its claim on legal basis stating that under Article 39 of the Constitution of India, data could be considered as ‘material resource’ to prescribe its equitable distribution for ‘common good’. However, data by its very nature is different from other material or tangible resources such as land or water.

It does not have inherent value in itself and only becomes useful once it is collected and processes with a targeted objective. Additionally, it is not exhaustible like land or oil, and one person use of certain non-personal data does not create a rivalry and other person is free to collect it. Thus, the provision such as that of land acquisition cannot be applied to data, because data is non-rival, thus the necessity of equitable distribution does not arise.

The Report also has underlying tones for data to be considered as a ‘public infrastructure’.  However, even with this claim the committee should be mindful that the responsibility of providing and maintaining a public infrastructure lies with the government. In the current form, the report has transferred this responsibility of identifying public infrastructure to the data trustees with ample discretion and not enough accountability.

On the other hand, the cost of providing this infrastructure still seems to be borne by the data custodians. In such a situation, non-personal data held by private sector cannot be considered as public infrastructure in its truest sense. On the contrary, public sector data, which is collected and maintained by the government on tax payers’ money, should be considered as public infrastructure.

These conflicts in assessing the nature of data create externalities and leads to a disjointed chain of benefit, creating exclusions for stakeholders in the non-personal data ecosystem and ambiguities in intended benefits.

Thus, if non-personal data in any form is to be considered as public good to be utilized for public benefit,the report needs to re-evaluate the nature of data to internalize the externalities created through such interpretation. Moreover, before considering HVD as public good or as public infrastructure it is necessary to develop infrastructure for data.Infact, for this the first step should be bolster the infrastructure and policies to ensure availability of public sector data.

The writer is Assistant Policy Analyst, CUTS International

Previous Post

Xfurbish in expansion mode, new offices soon in USA, SL,B’Desh & Malaysia

Next Post

Union Budget 2021-22 : Focus on Atma Nirbhar Bharat

Nivedita

Nivedita

Next Post
Union Budget 2021-22 : Focus on Atma Nirbhar Bharat

Union Budget 2021-22 : Focus on Atma Nirbhar Bharat

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 23.9k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
REC extends Rs 4,785 Crore for HPCL Rajasthan Refinery’s project in Barmer

CUTS International, Newland Global Group ink MoU to boost Australia-India trade collaboration

May 30, 2025
CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

CUTS International and Israel’s SIGNAL Group forge strategic partnership

May 21, 2025
India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

June 11, 2025
MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

June 10, 2025
Mucormycosis or fungal infection : Deadly sequel of Covid-19

Mucormycosis or fungal infection : Deadly sequel of Covid-19

1

Village Roadshow Entertainment Secures $480 Million

0
APSC needs financial autonomy to tone up working

APSC needs financial autonomy to tone up working

0
Corruption down revenue up

Corruption down revenue up

0
RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

June 12, 2025
India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

June 11, 2025
India leads global dialogue on AI-Native Telecom at ITU FG-AINN meet in New Delhi

India leads global dialogue on AI-Native Telecom at ITU FG-AINN meet in New Delhi

June 11, 2025
MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

June 10, 2025

Recent News

RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

June 12, 2025
India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

June 11, 2025
India leads global dialogue on AI-Native Telecom at ITU FG-AINN meet in New Delhi

India leads global dialogue on AI-Native Telecom at ITU FG-AINN meet in New Delhi

June 11, 2025
MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

MoSPI bats for hybrid data ecosystem in policy making

June 10, 2025
Smart Governance

Smart Governance is a community engagement platform bringing together decision-makers and bureaucrats from the Indian Government together through a strategic mix of platforms such as Print, Digital, Live Events, Virtual Events, Research, and Training platforms.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Digital
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Governance
  • Health
  • India
  • Industry
  • Infrastructure
  • Innovation
  • Interviews
  • My View
  • News
  • PSE
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

RR Kabel foundation launches ‘RRoshani’ skill program for youth in Maharashtra

June 12, 2025
India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

India to host first global cultural Pythian games in December 2025

June 11, 2025
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2025 Smart Governace

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Governance
  • India
  • Digital
  • Industry
  • Infrastructure
  • Economy
  • PSE
  • Health
  • E Magazine

© 2025 Smart Governace