Tech News #16 – Data Protection Bill | India’s First Private Rocket | WhatsApp Business Search Feature
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2022: Fine up to ₹200 crores if the company fails to notify users about a data breach
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) presented a revised draught data protection Bill, three months after dropping a previous version that had concerned major technology businesses and civil society.
The new Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, includes restrictions on ‘purpose limits’ for data collection, reasons for collecting and processing personal data, relaxation on cross-border data transfers, and hefty penalties for organisations that violate Bill’s requirements.
The draught proposal is up for public comment until December 17, and the final version is anticipated to be submitted in Parliament during the Budget session next year.
In contrast to the previous Bill’s controversial requirement of local storage of data inside India’s geography, the proposed Act makes major exemptions for cross-border data transfers.
The revised draught states that the Centre would notify locations to which Indians’ data can be shared. According to sources, the criteria for picking such locations would be based on their data security environment and if the government can access Indian data from there.
Skyroot Aerospace has become the first privately held space sector company in India
India’s first commercial rocket launch reached the edge of space before plunging back into the Bay of Bengal.
Skyroot Aerospace, a four-year-old company has manufactured the modest 6-metre-tall Vikram S suborbital spacecraft.
It reached an altitude of 89.5 kilometres roughly 2.5 minutes after taking off from the ISRO’s sounding rocket site in Sriharikota.
The rocket’s goal was to enter space, which begins at an altitude of roughly 80 km and attempt to touch the Karman Line, which is located at around 100 km.
The Karman Line is the point at which the Earth’s atmosphere terminates yet satellites cannot be put into a stable orbit.
WhatsApp Business Search Feature allows searching for companies in the app itself
In some regions, WhatsApp has unveiled a new feature that allows users to browse for companies, contact them, and make purchases without ever leaving the app. The features are currently under testing and are only available in a few countries.
Users will be able to discover a brand on the site thanks to the new ‘Business Search’ tool. For the time being, this is only available in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mexico, and Colombia.
The new Directory function on WhatsApp will allow users to find a local business, however, it is now only available in Brazil. After testing in Sao Paulo, the business intends to roll it out across the country.
The new P2M, or Pay to Merchant, the function will allow customers to pay a merchant straight through the app. This is just being tested in Brazil, but it will be expanded to other areas as well.
With this integration, WhatsApp becomes another Meta-owned social platform that also serves as online commerce. Facebook and Instagram received shopping functionalities in 2020, allowing companies to simply open online storefronts on the networks and sell their products directly. And WhatsApp is now joining them.
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