Achieve full compliance with the India Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
CalVant helps organizations operating in India or processing Indian citizens' data implement and maintain DPDPA compliance — enforced by the Data Protection Board of India — with mapped controls, consent management, data principal rights and continuous monitoring.
7 data rights · 7 chapters covered
What is India's DPDPA?
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA) is India's comprehensive data privacy legislation, enforced by the Data Protection Board of India. It governs the processing of digital personal data of individuals in India — and applies to organizations outside India that process Indian citizens' data to offer goods or services to them.
Extraterritorial scope
The DPDPA applies to any organization processing digital personal data of Indian data principals — including companies headquartered outside India that offer services to Indian users.
Data principal rights
Indian citizens (data principals) hold seven enforceable rights — including access, correction, erasure and grievance redressal. Fiduciaries must provide clear mechanisms to fulfill these rights.
Substantial penalties
Non-compliance can result in fines of up to ₹250 crore (approximately USD 30M) for significant data breaches, with tiered penalties across different types of violations.
Core DPDPA principles
The DPDPA is built on internationally recognized data protection principles adapted for India's digital economy, with a unique emphasis on consent-led processing and data fiduciary obligations.
Consent-based processing
Personal data may only be processed with the free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous consent of the data principal — or for certain legitimate uses.
- Obtain consent through a clear notice in plain language.
- Provide an itemized list of data being collected and its purpose.
- Maintain consent records and mechanisms for withdrawal.
Purpose and collection limitation
Personal data may only be processed for the lawful purpose for which consent was given and must not exceed what is necessary for that purpose.
- Specify the exact purpose clearly in the consent notice.
- Prohibit processing for any purpose not stated to the data principal.
- Review data collection scope against stated purposes regularly.
Notice and transparency
Data fiduciaries must provide a clear and accessible notice before or during consent, explaining processing activities in plain language.
- Issue notices in English or any Eighth Schedule language.
- Enable data principals to access the consent notice at any time.
- Update notices when processing activities materially change.
Data accuracy and completeness
Data fiduciaries must ensure personal data processed is accurate and complete, particularly where it is used to make decisions that affect data principals.
- Implement data quality controls and validation at collection.
- Enable data principals to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Maintain audit records for data correction activities.
Storage limitation and erasure
Personal data must be erased once the purpose for which it was collected is met and no legal retention requirement applies.
- Define and enforce retention periods per data category.
- Implement automated data erasure workflows post-purpose fulfillment.
- Require processors to erase data on instruction of the fiduciary.
Security safeguards and accountability
Data fiduciaries must implement reasonable security safeguards to prevent personal data breaches and are accountable for processors acting on their behalf.
- Implement technical and organizational security measures.
- Appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Significant Data Fiduciaries.
- Conduct periodic audits via an independent Data Auditor where required.
Key DPDPA obligations
Organizations classified as Data Fiduciaries — including Significant Data Fiduciaries — must implement these obligations to avoid enforcement by the Data Protection Board of India.
Significant Data Fiduciaries face enhanced obligations
The Central Government may classify certain Data Fiduciaries as Significant Data Fiduciaries (SDFs) based on volume and sensitivity of data processed, risk to data principals and national security. SDFs must appoint a DPO based in India, engage an independent Data Auditor, conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments and comply with additional Central Government rules.
Consent management
Every processing activity must be grounded in valid consent or a specified legitimate use defined under the Act.
- Deliver a clear, plain-language consent notice before processing
- Obtain explicit, itemized consent for each processing purpose
- Enable data principals to withdraw consent easily at any time
- Honor withdrawal requests and cease processing without undue delay
Data principal rights (Sections 11–14)
Data principals hold seven rights that fiduciaries must acknowledge and fulfill within prescribed timeframes.
- Right to access — summary of data processed and processing activities
- Right to correction, completion and erasure of personal data
- Right to grievance redressal through a clear, accessible mechanism
- Right to nominate a nominee to exercise rights in case of death or incapacity
Cross-border data transfers
Transferring personal data outside India is permitted except to countries notified by the Central Government as restricted.
- Map all cross-border data flows involving Indian personal data
- Monitor the Central Government's list of restricted countries
- Implement contractual safeguards with overseas data processors
- Ensure overseas processors comply with DPDPA obligations by contract
Breach notification (Section 8(6))
Personal data breaches must be reported to the Data Protection Board and affected data principals as prescribed by Central Government rules.
- Notify the Data Protection Board upon discovery of a personal data breach
- Notify affected data principals of the breach and its likely impact
- Maintain a breach register and conduct post-incident root cause analysis
- Implement preventive measures to avoid recurrence
Children's data — Section 9
Processing personal data of children (under 18) requires verifiable parental consent and prohibits harmful or tracking-based processing.
- Implement age verification mechanisms before processing children's data
- Obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent for users under 18
- Prohibit behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising to children
- Exempt certain fiduciaries under Central Government rules where applicable
Business impact of DPDPA compliance
DPDPA compliance is a strategic imperative for organizations serving India's 1.4 billion citizens — one of the world's fastest-growing digital economies and consumer markets.
Operate in India's digital economy
Processing personal data of Indian citizens requires DPDPA compliance. A robust program signals readiness to serve India's massive and rapidly expanding digital consumer base.
Avoid substantial penalties
Fines of up to ₹250 crore for significant data breaches — combined with enforcement by the Data Protection Board — make proactive compliance the clear commercial choice.
Align with global privacy standards
DPDPA obligations are closely aligned with GDPR principles, enabling organizations to build a unified global privacy program that satisfies multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
Enable cross-border data flows
Establishing compliant cross-border transfer mechanisms ensures uninterrupted data flows between Indian operations and global systems, cloud providers and business partners.
Build trust with Indian consumers
Demonstrable DPDPA compliance builds confidence with India's digitally aware consumers — especially in sectors like fintech, healthtech, e-commerce and SaaS.
Strengthen data governance maturity
DPDPA drives formalization of consent management, data inventories and accountability structures — improving operational governance across the organization.
Ready to achieve DPDPA compliance and operate confidently in India's digital market?
See how CalVant maps DPDPA obligations to actionable controls, automates consent and data principal request workflows, and keeps you continuously compliant.