Data, Privacy and Protection

Data Strategy, Governance & DPDPA Compliance

We help organisations build accountable, resilient governance frameworks for data and emerging technologies — including AI governance and model-risk oversight, cross-border data controls, data-lifecycle and stewardship structures, third-party and platform governance, and cybersecurity and operational-resilience requirements that ensure responsible and compliant technology use.

Our team advises on the full DPDPA compliance lifecycle — from Significant Data Fiduciary classification and DPO appointment, to Records of Processing Activity, consent management architecture, and Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk processing. We design programmes that are legally defensible, operationally scalable, and built to adapt as the regulatory environment evolves.

We also advise on the cross-border dimension: the interplay between India's DPDPA, the EU GDPR, Singapore's PDPA, UAE data laws, and the evolving global landscape of data sovereignty and transfer restrictions.

• Significant Data Fiduciary classification assessment and readiness programme
• Data Protection Officer (DPO) appointment and mandate-setting
• Records of Processing Activity (RoPA) — built from scratch or reviewed and remediated
• Consent management architecture and notice drafting under DPDPA Rules 2025
• Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) for high-risk and AI-enabled processing
• Cross-border data transfer advisory — DPDPA, GDPR, SCCs, adequacy frameworks
• Data retention and deletion policy design
• Annual compliance programme review and board-ready reporting

Cyber & Data Breach Incident Response

When a personal data breach puts your organisation at risk, we move quickly to contain exposure, meet your legal obligations under the DPDPA 2023, and protect your reputation. We have led responses to some of the most complex data incidents across India's banking, healthcare, e-commerce, and technology sectors — and we advise boards and senior leadership on preparedness, resilience, and real-time crisis management.

Our breach response capability covers the full incident lifecycle: immediate legal triage, Data Protection Board notification within the 72-hour statutory window, coordination across your legal, IT, communications and regulatory functions, and direct engagement with the DPB on your behalf. Post-incident, we conduct root cause analysis, remediate compliance gaps, and rebuild your data protection posture.

• Immediate 24/7 legal response — our team is on call for data breach incidents
• Data Protection Board notification within the 72-hour statutory window
• Forensic legal coordination across IT, communications, and regulatory functions
• Board and executive advisory during the incident lifecycle
• Data principal notification management where legally required
• Regulatory defence if enforcement proceedings are initiated post-breach
• Post-incident compliance gap analysis and remediation programme
• Breach preparedness playbooks and incident response simulation exercises

Regulatory Defence & Investigations

When the Data Protection Board initiates an inquiry — or when a data principal complaint escalates to formal proceedings — companies turn to AMLEGALS. We defend organisations in high-stakes investigations and enforcement actions brought by the DPB, sectoral regulators including SEBI, IRDAI, RBI, and TRAI, consumer protection authorities, and cross-border supervisory authorities.

Much of our most consequential work is resolved before it ever becomes public. Early, strategic engagement with regulators — grounded in deep knowledge of the DPDPA enforcement framework and close relationships across India's regulatory landscape — protects our clients' business, reputation, and long-term regulatory standing. We also represent data fiduciaries in DPB appeals and DPDPA penalty proceedings.

• Data Protection Board inquiry response and strategic engagement
• DPDPA penalty proceedings — defence and negotiation
• Data principal complaint management and escalation defence
• Appeals against DPB orders before the Appellate Tribunal
• Cross-border regulatory enquiries — EU, UK, Singapore, UAE
• Regulatory relationship management across SEBI, IRDAI, RBI, TRAI
• Pre-enforcement strategic compliance positioning
• Regulatory correspondence and written submissions on behalf of data fiduciaries

AI Governance & Emerging Technology Privacy

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automated decision-making systems create profound data privacy risks and unprecedented regulatory complexity. We help organisations design AI governance frameworks that are legally sound, operationally viable, and reputationally resilient — under the DPDPA 2023, the EU AI Act, OECD AI Principles, and India's emerging AI regulatory framework.

Our work covers privacy-by-design for AI products, automated processing notices and consent mechanisms, DPIAs for high-risk AI deployments, and governance structures boards need to exercise meaningful oversight over algorithmic decision-making. We also advise on children's data and AI — one of the most heavily regulated intersections under the DPDPA, with mandatory verifiable parental consent requirements.

• AI governance framework design — DPDPA-compliant and board-ready
• Privacy-by-design review for AI products and automated systems
• DPIA for high-risk AI deployments and automated decision-making
• Automated processing notices and consent mechanisms under DPDPA Rules 2025
• Children's data and AI — verifiable parental consent architecture
• EU AI Act applicability assessment for India-based AI developers
• AI vendor due diligence and data processing agreement review
• Board-level AI governance and oversight frameworks

Health Data, Life Sciences & Sensitive Personal Data

We advise India's leading hospitals, diagnostic chains, health-tech platforms, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical firms on the heightened obligations the DPDPA 2023 imposes on organisations processing sensitive personal data — including health information, financial records, biometric data, and children's data.

Our team guides clients through modern health data governance programmes, clinical research data frameworks, patient consent architectures, and digital health product privacy assessments. We also advise on the intersection of the DPDPA with the DISHA framework, NABH standards, and global health data frameworks for cross-border clinical operations.

• Health data governance framework design under DPDPA and DISHA
• Patient consent architecture and notice design for digital health platforms
• DPIA for AI diagnostics, telemedicine platforms, and wearable health devices
• Clinical research data governance and cross-border transfer frameworks
• HIPAA intersection advisory for US-linked health operations
• Insurance health data compliance under IRDAI and DPDPA
• Electronic health records privacy compliance
• Health data breach response and NABH compliance support

Transactions, Commercial Agreements & Data Contracts

Data privacy and protection considerations are central to today's business deals. We help clients identify and address these issues in corporate and commercial transactions — whether negotiating technology and data-sharing agreements, structuring outsourcing arrangements, evaluating data protection risks in M&A, or drafting data processor agreements with third-party vendors.

Under the DPDPA 2023, data fiduciaries are legally accountable for the processing activities of their data processors. We ensure your vendor and partner contracts reflect this accountability — with audit rights, breach notification obligations, data deletion provisions, sub-processor controls, and liability allocation that genuinely protects your organisation.

• Data processing agreement drafting and negotiation under DPDPA 2023
• Vendor data privacy due diligence and risk assessment frameworks
• M&A data privacy risk identification and deal structuring
• Technology and data-sharing agreements — cross-border and domestic
• Outsourcing and SaaS agreement privacy compliance review
• Controller-to-controller and controller-to-processor contract frameworks
• Sub-processor chain management and liability allocation
• Joint venture and partnership data governance structuring

Policy, Regulatory Affairs & Legislative Intelligence

We advise on the rapidly evolving global policy landscape governing data and emerging technologies — drawing on close relationships with MeitY, the Data Protection Board, TRAI, SEBI, RBI, and key international regulators that shape the rules your business must follow. Our policy team participates in public consultations, industry working groups, and regulatory advisory panels that influence the DPDPA rulemaking process.

For organisations operating across borders, our policy intelligence extends to the EU Commission, the UK ICO, the US FTC, and APAC data protection authorities — giving you a genuinely global picture of regulatory direction. This advantage allows our clients to anticipate regulatory change rather than simply react to it.

• MeitY consultation representation and written submission drafting
• DPDPA rulemaking engagement and regulatory intelligence
• Industry association policy advocacy and coalition building
• Regulatory relationship management across DPB, SEBI, IRDAI, RBI, TRAI
• Global policy intelligence — EU AI Act, UK ICO, US FTC, APAC DPAs
• Legislative horizon scanning and regulatory change impact assessment
• Board-level regulatory intelligence briefings and scenario planning
• Government affairs advisory for data-intensive sectors

DPO Services, Training & Organisational Capability

We provide end-to-end Data Protection Officer services — including DPO appointment and mandate-setting for Significant Data Fiduciaries, outsourced DPO function for organisations requiring external expertise, and advisory and overflow support for in-house DPO teams facing complex compliance challenges.

Our training and awareness programmes go beyond legal education — building genuine data privacy capability at every level of your organisation. Led by Anandaday Misshra, our faculty includes practising DPDPA lawyers, certified privacy professionals (CIPP/E, CIPM), and regulatory specialists who train boards, DPOs, legal teams, and front-line employees.

• Outsourced DPO service — appointment, mandate, and ongoing function
• In-house DPO advisory and overflow support
• DPO certification and professional development programmes
• Board-level DPDPA briefings and executive awareness sessions
• Department-specific employee awareness modules (HR, IT, Marketing, Sales)
• Incident response simulation exercises and breach readiness drills
• Third-party and vendor ecosystem training on DPDPA obligations
• Annual Data Protection Maturity Audit — board-ready report with remediation roadmap