DATA PROTECTION, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CYBER SECURITY IN INDIA: LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE DIGITAL AGE

AUTHOR – RANJANA* & DR. RANA PARVEEN**

* RESEARCH SCHOLAR, SCHOOL OF LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE, SHRI VENKATESHWARA UNIVERSITY, GAJRAULA, AMROHA

**RESEARCH SUPERVISOR, SCHOOL OF LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE, SHRI VENKATESHWARA UNIVERSITY, GAJRAULA, AMROHA

BEST CITATION – RANJANA & DR. RANA PARVEEN, DATA PROTECTION, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CYBER SECURITY IN INDIA: LEGAL CHALLENGES IN THE DIGITAL AGE, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (4) OF 2026, PG. 06-16, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

Abstract

The rapid digitization of the Indian economy has transformed the socio-legal fabric of the nation, necessitating a sophisticated legal architecture to govern the triad of data protection, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023, and its intersection with the existing Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, and emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulations. It situates these legislative developments within the constitutional framework established by the landmark Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India verdict, which elevated privacy to a fundamental right. The analysis critically evaluates the shift from a security-centric IT regime to a developmental, consent-based privacy framework, highlighting the friction between individual autonomy and state surveillance. Furthermore, the report explores the “responsibility gap” in AI liability, the procedural conflicts between cybersecurity reporting directives and privacy breach notifications, and the potential erosion of transparency through amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act. By synthesizing primary legal sources, global comparative paradigms, and philosophical insights from Indian Knowledge Systems alongside literary critiques of the surveillance state, this study offers a nuanced perspective on the challenges of preserving human dignity in an increasingly automated and data-driven republic.

Keywords: Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) 2023; Artificial Intelligence Regulation; Cybersecurity; Right to Privacy; Justice K.S. Puttaswamy; Information Technology Act 2000; Data Protection Board of India; Algorithmic Bias; Surveillance State; Data Sovereignty