Following HC orders, Kerala CM assures 'No compromise on citizens' COVID-19 data privacy'

Clarifying that the Kerala High Court did not ask the state to stay or cancel the deal with US-firm Sprinklr on COVID-19 data issue, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government would not compromise on the citizens' data privacy.

"The Kerala High Court's interim order rejects allegations of opposition. The court did not ask the state government to cancel the deal or to stay it. The court has asked the state government to go ahead with the deal ensuring data privacy. The state government's stand is clear that there will be no compromise on citizens' data privacy," said CM Pinarayi Vijayan during a press conference on Friday.

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Kerala HC orders State Govt to 'Anonymize Citizen Health Data'

Upholding COVID-19 patients' privacy, the Kerala High Court on Friday, directed the state government to anonymize all data collected and collated so far and allow Sprinklr to access data only after anonymization is completed while hearing pleas challenging the Kerala government- Sprinklr deal.

Moreover, the court also directed Sprinlklr to not breach data confidentiality, not advertise, and to return the data as soon as their contract expires - deleting residual information. The matter is set to be listed after three weeks.

READ | Kerala HC Orders State Govt To 'anonymize Citizen Health Data' Before Handing To Sprinklr

'Protect citizen data from Sprinklr'

Moreover, the court ordered the Kerala government to inform individuals that the data will be accessed by Sprinklr and obtain their consent. The Centre had argued that the state government must clarify that sufficient safeguards are taken to protect citizens' privacy while sharing data with the foreign firm for COVID-19 surveillance.

The Kerala government had roped in the US-based firm to handle data compiled by the government in its Coronavirus battle efforts. The company had reportedly developed a tool to assist doctors and medical officials to choose if a particular citizen needed hospitalization, based on their inputs. This has raised major concerns about privacy.

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