Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 & Political Campaigns: Navigating the Impact in India

In the last decade there has been an explosion in the use of digital tools for political campaigning. Data driven campaigning has become a significant feature of political campaigns around the world. There is a growing belief both at the elite and grassroots level that data matters for electoral success. There is not a single way in which data is used, rather there are numerous ways in which data is manipulated to target the right audience, to cater to their needs and influence them in the voting process. The political parties around the world have built databases, integrated online and field data and created more sophisticated analytic tools to keep traces of the electorate.