KTR Warns of Digital Privacy Risks from New IT Act
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Synopsis
K.T. Rama Rao raises concerns over the proposed Income Tax Bill, 2025, citing threats to digital privacy. He criticizes the government's overreach and demands accountability from officials, urging citizens to oppose the bill while seeking amendments to protect privacy rights.
Key Takeaways
- KTR warns of serious threats to digital privacy.
- New IT Act allows unchecked access to personal data.
- Provisions may lead to harassment and surveillance.
- Legal experts highlight potential privacy violations.
- KTR calls for accountability from government officials.
Hyderabad, March 7 (NationPress) K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has expressed significant alarm regarding the Central Government’s proposed Income Tax Bill, 2025, labeling it a serious threat to the digital privacy of all citizens.
The former information technology minister of Telangana criticized the bill’s provisions, which he argues represent an unsettling government overreach disguised as tax enforcement.
“The Centre's new IT Act poses a profound risk to the digital privacy of every citizen. The proposed Income Tax Bill aims to provide IT officials with unrestricted access to social media, emails, and online trading accounts under the pretext of tax investigation. This unprecedented intrusion into 'virtual digital spaces' could result in harassment, misuse, and extensive surveillance,” KTR, as he is commonly referred to, stated.
“Given that financial data is already subjected to numerous reporting mechanisms, this harsh intrusion violates citizens' fundamental rights and digital privacy. Who will ensure officials are held accountable for any misuse of this overreaching provision? The Prime Minister and Finance Minister must respond,” KTR added.
The Income Tax Bill, which was introduced in February 2025, significantly enhances the powers of tax authorities beyond those established in the Income Tax Act, 1961. Section 247 permits officials to access and examine any 'virtual digital space'—defined broadly under Section 261(i) to include social media, emails, and online accounts—if tax evasion is suspected, starting on April 1, 2026. This allows for the bypassing of digital security without adequate protections, differing from the current law’s emphasis on physical assets. Legal experts caution about possible violations of privacy under Article 21, as affirmed in the 2017 Puttaswamy ruling.
KTR condemned the bill as an excessive infringement, asserting that existing surveillance measures are sufficient, and demanded accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the regulation of these powers. He characterized it as a “blatant assault on digital rights” and urged citizens and the opposition to challenge the bill, advocating for amendments that would reconcile tax enforcement with privacy safeguards.
