India proposes safe-by-design digital infrastructure, legal responsibility and digital empowerment as the foundation of trustworthy digital systems.
The framework highlights Aadhaar, UPI and digital grievance redressal while addressing emerging risks from AI and frontier technologies.
Highlights
- India outlines three pillars for building safe and trustworthy digital ecosystems
- ‘Safe by design’ approach puts security at the core of Digital Public Infrastructure
- Aadhaar has 1.4 billion holders and over 170 billion authentications
- UPI handles nearly 50% of the world’s real-time payments
- IT Act and DPDP Act form the legal responsibility pillar
- Grievance Appellate Committee has digitally resolved over 10,000 appeals since 2023
India has proposed a three-pillar framework for building safe and trustworthy digital systems, placing security, legal responsibility and individual digital rights at the centre of the digitalisation process.
Amit Agrawal, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Telecommunications, outlined the approach during his keynote address, “Cybersecurity and Trustworthy ICTs: Building a Safe & Trustworthy Digital Future,” at the BRICS ICT Track.
The first pillar focuses on “safe by design” Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Under this approach, safety and trust are built into digital systems from the beginning instead of being added later. India highlighted Aadhaar and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as examples of large-scale digital infrastructure based on this model.
According to the presentation, Aadhaar has around 1.4 billion holders and has recorded more than 170 billion authentications. UPI handles nearly 50% of the world’s real-time payments, demonstrating the scale of India’s digital public infrastructure.
The second pillar focuses on responsibility through law. It requires digital platforms and entities handling personal data to operate safely and responsibly. Agrawal cited the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which establish obligations related to digital content, personal data and user protection.
The third pillar is the “digital empowerment of the netizen”. It seeks to provide individuals with accessible digital mechanisms to exercise their rights and seek redress. India’s Grievance Appellate Committee has resolved more than 10,000 appeals digitally since 2023, according to the presentation.
The proposal comes amid rapid growth in digital connectivity across BRICS countries. Internet users across the five founding BRICS members increased by 1.3 billion between 2016 and 2026, while 4G coverage increased from around 84% to about 99% of their combined population.
Agrawal also highlighted the growing importance of safeguards as Artificial Intelligence and other frontier technologies expand. While these technologies can accelerate digital adoption, they can also create new risks, particularly for vulnerable users.
India’s approach positions safety and trust alongside connectivity and innovation as essential elements of digital development. It also aligns with India’s people-centric BRICS agenda and the broader principle of putting “Humanity First” at the centre of technological progress.
