Privacy and Data Protection in Social Media and Liabilities of Intermediarie

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to deal with the liabilities of social-media intermediaries in privacy and data protection in cyberspace. In recent times, we have seen the huge role of intermediaries in securing data or disclosing it publicly, as we saw in April 2021, 533 million Facebook user credentials were gathered using a combination of old and modern scraping techniques before being distributed to a hacker forum with a contribution request by Tom Liner, a hacker. Since there is no adequate law related to data privacy in India, it is incredibly difficult to ensure the protection of privacy rights in India. In this research paper, the author has applied doctrinal or library-based research. All the data collected in this research will be applied from secondary data like textbooks, legal articles, law journals, laws, statutes, international treaties, legal publications, and e-resources. With this research, we will learn about the loopholes and lack of proper laws related to data protection and privacy in our legal system. We will discuss different data protection laws around the world and the liabilities of intermediaries in countries like the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany. To address serious cyber threats in India, we refer to the Information Technology Act of India, which was enacted to facilitate e-commerce and hence did not prioritize privacy. In conclusion, the need for proper data protection will be discussed, and the loophole in the current legal system related to data protection in India will be analyzed. The author will also shed some light on the roles of intermediaries for data protection and what the liabilities of intermediaries are in different countries, including India.