Abstract

Every second that we are on the internet, our digital footprint is exchanged, processed and stored in one form or another. The obvious questions raised here are- What happens to the data? How is it used? Who controls the way it is collected, processed and stored? Is the data weaponized in any way? What is the role of the State in this? What mass surveillance techniques are employed by the State, if it is in place? What are our rights in this? The aim of the research paper is to thoroughly investigate and try to answer the questions raised above. The paper also delves into the history of the concept of privacy and data protection whilst taking into account the events that have happened in the past or are unfolding presently, contributing to the global debate of personal data privacy and have led to the development of some comprehensive legislations in EU and India to tackle the same.

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