No compromise on citizens' data privacy: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said the High Court did not ask the State to stay or cancel the deal with US-based company Sprinklr on COVID-19 related data and reiterated 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 Chief Minister Vijayan here during a press conference.

Kerala High Court on Friday directed the state government to anonymise all COVID-19 related data collected and collated so far and allow Sprinklr to access the data only after the anonymisation is completed.

A Division Bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice TR Ravi pronounced the interim order while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the contract inked between Kerala government and the US-based company for the processing of COVID-19 related data collected by health workers.

The matter has been listed for further hearing after a period of three weeks.

The court also injuncted Sprinklr from committing any act, which will be in breach of confidentiality of data entrusted with them by the state government under an impugned contract.

"Sprinklr shall not directly or indirectly deal with the data entrusted to them by Kerala government in conflict with the confidentiality clauses in the contract and will return the data as soon as their contractual obligations are over," the court said.

It said that any residual or secondary data with Sprinklr shall be immediately deleted.

The court also injuncted Sprinklr from advertising that they are in the possession or have access to any data of COVID-19 patients in Kerala and from using the name or logo of the Government of Kerala for its promotional acts.

The court ordered that the state government has to take informed consent from individuals that their data will be processed by a third party foreign company.

( With inputs from ANI )