Data localization has several benefits and challenges. It refers to storing data within a country’s geographical boundaries.
Pros
- Data is thought to be a “new form of riches.” In general, businesses use data to better understand their customers’ needs and to influence their behavior. By analyzing data, new goods can be designed to fulfill the wants of consumers. As a result, the information has monetary worth. With their well-established infrastructure, industrialized countries are generally taking advantage of this opportunity. There’s also a chance that the data will be misappropriated to benefit the countries that hold it. Furthermore, India is a significant consumer market for many foreign firms. As a result, India and other emerging countries are realizing the relevance of data localization and the economic worth of data. Domestic enterprises and the country’s economy will gain from data localization. And we can also ensure the security of the data.
- While investigating crimes, there will be a need to access the payment data. If the data is abroad, it is very difficult to take permission from that country for access to the data. This causes delays in solving crimes. If the data is in store here within our country, this problem will be avoided.
- Multiple data centers are establish locally as a result of data localization regulations. This will result in a large number of employment, as well as a significant boost to the country’s economy. It will also encourage field innovation, resulting in low-cost solutions.
- Data localization is also important for data sovereignty, which means the data of the citizens should be own by the respective governments and not by other countries.
- Data Localization has many other challenges apart from benefits.
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Cons
- India does not yet have a well-developed infrastructure to protect data security. Developed countries, on the other hand, already have a well-functioning infrastructure. As a result, rushing to localize data may not be a sensible decision. Because data is vulnerable to cyber-attacks if the infrastructure isn’t up to par. And because this is financial data, the danger is high. However, when rules are enact, it will be difficult to construct efficient infrastructure at a faster rate.
- Storing data in India means higher operational costs for payment system operators. Because in other countries they have cheaper alternatives. And also for cross-border transactions, they have to store the data in two places, which increases costs. There is a probability that these extra costs may pass on to the consumers.
- We live in an increasingly globalized world. At this time, the world is based on the free movement of people, products, services, and data. Data localization regulations appear to be part of protectionist policies, posing a risk to free data movement.
- The base of the internet is the free flow of data. Data localization is also a threat to the main essence of the internet.
- Innovation thrives when there is no significant financial burden. Therefore, data localization methods can jeopardize innovation attempts in the digital payments industry.
- Data localization may result in government surveillance of its citizens.
- It is also against intellectual property rights because they use their intelligence to form systems that can benefit from the data it generates, but in the end, they get deprive of these benefits and someone else may use this data in their favor.