Antiquated data laws in the country restrict the growth of online healthcare in India. To strengthen electronic health data privacy, Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) was drafted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2018. The act seeks to ensure confidentiality and security of Digital Health Data (DHD) by revamping the existing structure for data protection. This legislation lays down the rules for the collection, processing, storage, transmission, and usage of data.
Even other entities such as the applications that collect health data from wearable devices will have to comply with obtaining consent for data collection. The users also have the right to refuse data collection at any stage. The act places a strict ban on the commercialization of health data like using it for targeting advertisements, but this is a commonly used model for M-health service providers. Concerns such as these are still being deliberated while the law awaits enactment.