AbstractThe Indian telecom sector is growing at a very fast pace and will continue to be on this expansion path exploring new opportunities. This rapid development of telecommunications services in India has accelerated the socio-economic development of the country largely. With the expansion of telecom sector in India the use of information and communication technology (ICT) services have increased and at the same time have also facilitated sound network connectivity throughout the country. We have likewise seen an enormous growth in the quantity and quality of data that is being created by employing advanced ICT services. With the enhanced level of ICT services, the Indian telecom sector is exposed to numerous kinds of data security and information protection dangers. Taking into consideration changing dynamics of the sector and efficiency potential of data analytics the paper has discussed whether there is adequate protection of data privacy and ownership rights of users and the challenges associated with it. Another important issue that has been be addressed in the paper is to what extent individuals can dominate the manner in which data concerning them is retrieved and utilized by various entities. This paper has also discussed the recommendations given by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its consultation paper published in July 2017 concerning ‘Privacy, Security and Ownership of Data in the Telecom Sector’. The paper is ended with a meaningful concluding remark.
Keywords: Data Privacy; Data Security; Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; Telecommunication; Telecom Service Providers.