New delhi: Indian media organisations have issued strong warnings over the newly notified Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, stating that the framework poses a grave threat to press freedom and undermines India's transparency regime by diluting the Right to Information Act.

The Editors Guild of India said the rules lack explicit safeguards for journalistic work, leaving reporters and news organisations vulnerable to data-processing and consent requirements that could impede routine reporting. The Guild noted that investigative journalism and accountability reporting may be particularly affected in the absence of legal exemptions.

The Editors Guild recalled that in July, S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), had assured press bodies that bona fide journalistic work would not fall under the DPDP Act. However, the Guild expressed concern that the newly issued rules do not provide any legally sound clarification or amendments to protect journalists.

'Ambiguous obligations around consent risk exposing journalists and newsrooms to compliance burdens that may impede routine reportage,' the Guild said, warning that unclear regulations could weaken press freedom and obstruct the media's democratic role.

Echoing these concerns, the DIGIPUB News India Foundation said the DPDP framework grants sweeping access and enforcement powers to the government while offering no statutory protections for journalists. The organisation cautioned that the rules could further weaken India's Right to Information regime and endanger transparency.

Media bodies have urged the MeitY to issue a categorical clarification explicitly exempting bona fide journalistic activities from consent and data-processing obligations under the act, stressing that such protections are essential to safeguard press freedom in India.