In March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a
pandemic. This has caused employers around the world to take
measures to protect and screen their employees and business
contacts. These measures include checking employees'
temperatures, obtaining their health and travel data, collecting
medical certificates, etc.
While these measures are important, organisations must also
remember that they continue to protect the privacy of their
employees and other contacts.
Under current Indian law, the collection, receipt, possession,
storage, handling and transfer of personal information
("PI") and sensitive personal data or
information ("SPDI") of natural persons
through electronic means is regulated by the Information Technology
Act, 2000 ("IT Act")
and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and
Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011
("Privacy Rules" and
along with the IT Act, "Indian
Privacy Laws"). SPDI