In the last three columns, I have talked about the importance of personal data, and the main features of India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023 and the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules (DPDPR), 2025. In today’s column, I will tell students and those working in the legal and IT sector about the careers and opportunities created in India and globally, in the data protection and privacy field, qualifications, certifications and skills required for it.
The scope of the above two laws is on all organizations and intermediaries that collect, process, use, modify and transfer personal data, that is, all local and global organizations dealing with Indian people data which is huge. So this is a GST-like opportunity that can open up many new types of well-paying careers in the job market. According to a NITI Aayog report, cybercrimes related to data breaches are expected to grow at a rate of 18.33% in India over the next five years, and under the new law, organizations can face fines of up to Rs 250 crore for each such crime. Therefore, to avoid fines and comply with the new law, organizations will have to hire people for new jobs and career opportunities for data privacy and security.
Prominent Jobs and Careers in the Data Privacy and Security :-
- Entry-level job titles – Data Privacy Analyst, Data Compliance Coordinator, Junior Data Privacy Consultant, Data Administration Assistant and Data Protection Intern.
- Mid-level job titles – Senior Data Privacy Analyst, Data Protection Officer (DPO), Data Privacy Program Manager, Data Privacy Consultant and Data Protection Engineer.
- Senior level job titles – Information Privacy and Security Advisor, Director of Information Privacy and Security, Director of Information Privacy Compliance and Legal Affairs, Chief Information Privacy Officer and Director of Information Privacy Engineering.
To become an Information Privacy Professional you must :-
- Earn a basic degree in law, computer science or any information technology related field from an accredited college or university, along with internships and projects at reputable organizations on an information privacy related topic.
- Certifications like Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), Certified Information Privacy Management (CIPM) from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (AIPP), DSCI Certified Privacy Professional (DCPP©), DSCI Certified Data Protection Officer (DCDPO) and DSCI Certified Privacy Lead Assessor (DCPLA) help in getting good jobs.
- In addition, learning non-technical skills like analytical thinking, communication, information governance, ethics, team work, critical thinking, project management, and legal knowledge helps.
Job profile of an information privacy professional :-
- Information security policy formulation, implementation support and control.
- Classification and mapping of personal information based on the usage and laws of the respective country.
- Conducting risk assessments and formulating risk mitigation measures.
- Conducting and reporting on compliance audits.
- Data breach incident response and management.
- Conducting staff training and awareness sessions.
- Preparation and maintenance of records.