Indian News Publishers Challenge Prime Minister Modi's Privacy Law in Court

Top news publishers in India, including media outlets owned by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, have launched a legal challenge against the privacy law introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Publishers argue that the law will undermine investigative journalism and could lead to the government identifying news sources.

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) states that the law's requirement for journalists to notify individuals under investigation could lead to the destruction of evidence, intimidation of witnesses, and the prevention of stories from being published. Furthermore, the right of individuals to withdraw their consent at any time raises concerns that factual reporting serving the public interest could be removed from publication or heavily censored.

Publishers are concerned that provisions allowing the government to request information from organizations could be used to identify and target journalistic sources. The Federal Data Protection Board's ability to fine non-compliant organizations up to 2.5 billion Indian rupees has been described by the DNPA as an existential threat to media outlets.