Welcome order

Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Yes to data privacy” (August 25). It would be an understatement to say that the decision of the Supreme Court, upholding individual privacy, is historic. What is incredible is that during this landmark judgement, the judges, specifically overruled earlier judgements where privacy was construed as non-fundamental. 

As personal data is being seen and shared by both, the Government and private companies, there has been a growing concern amongst the citizens of the country, which is not ill-founded. Though it looks like Aadhaar will keep its relevance but now this judgement has opened the gates for other issues like taking a re-look at section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, abortion rights and many other sensitive matters. Moreover, it is to be seen how the Government aligns its law with the verdict as data mining is one of the most critical tool for many sectors today, including banking and social media like Facebook.