Author Vineet Goenka on Friday released his book titled 'Function of Data Sovereignty - The Pursuit of Supremacy' and said days of "data colonisation are not too far".
Speaking to after the book launch, Goenka said: "India is one of the biggest markets in data generation in the world. We generate data and we consume data."
Data is the new fuel which runs the world, but it is also a double-edged sword.
"When data is generated it is stored somewhere. It results in decision-making capabilities. We are one-sixth of the human population and one-fourth of the data consumption of the world. Somebody who has data may influence our lives. If data is outside the geography of this country then the owner of the data can play with you. Whosoever controls the data will rule the mind of the users as laws will not be implemented on that owner," he said.
The author further spoke about the Internet of things (IOT), which is the extension of Internet connectivity into physical devices.
"The devices with IOT would help in knowing what a user is doing. The controller of the data would know your strategic and civilian application. So, we have to be very careful," he said.
Goenka also advised users to be aware of the products they are using. "One should know why a company is giving free service because there is nothing called free lunch on this earth and if someone is giving you free service then you are the product," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )