The Editors Guild of India has noted with concern the recent notification of the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The Guild has earlier highlighted shortcomings in the Act, including the dilution of the Right to Information regime and the absence of any explicit journalistic exception. It has said that the newly issued Rules have continued to leave critical questions unresolved for journalists and media organisations.
In July 2025, the Secretary of MeitY held a meeting with press bodies and assured them that journalistic work would not fall within the purview of the DPDP Act. The Guild, along with other media organisations, has urged MeitY to issue legally tenable clarification or an amendatory provision to explicitly safeguard journalistic activities. Following the meeting, a detailed set of 35 questions and case-based scenarios has been submitted to MeitY, seeking clarity on issues of consent, exemptions, data retention, research, and reporting in the public interest. However, there has been no official response since then.
The notified Rules have not alleviated these concerns. Ambiguous obligations around consent have exposed journalists and newsrooms to compliance burdens that may impede routine reportage. Without explicit exemptions or clarifying guidance, the possibility remains that journalistic activities could be interpreted as “processing” requiring consent, thereby chilling newsgathering and hindering accountability journalism.
The Editors Guild has urged MeitY to urgently issue a clear and categorical clarification exempting bona fide journalistic activity from the consent and processing requirements of the Act. It has warned that the absence of such clarity, along with resulting confusion and over-compliance, has weakened press freedom and obstructed the media’s essential role in a democratic society.
The Guild has reiterated that while data protection and privacy are vital objectives, they must be balanced with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and the public’s right to know.
