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ARTICLE · 23 FEBRUARY 2026

Immutability vs Accountability: Data Protection Challenges For Crypto, Web3, And Blockchain Platforms Under India's DPDP Regime

King, Stubb & Kasiva
King, Stubb & Kasiva
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King, Stubb & Kasiva

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Crypto and Web3 technologies were built to reduce dependence on centralised intermediaries.

IndiaTechnology
Aniket Ghosh
Aniket Ghosh
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Introduction: The Collision Between Blockchain Design and Data Protection Law

Crypto and Web3 technologies were built to reduce dependence on centralised intermediaries. By design, blockchains prioritise immutability, transparency, censorship resistance and trust minimisation. These strengths, however, sit in clear tension with modern data protection frameworks that emphasise consent, purpose limitation, data minimisation, correction and erasure.

India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, along with the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, brings this conflict into sharp relief. For crypto exchanges, DeFi protocols, NFT platforms, DAOs, wallet providers, custodians and analytics firms, the data privacy regime raises fundamental DPDP compliance issues. These include identifying who is legally responsible for data processing, determining whether immutable ledgers can accommodate user rights, and understanding how cross-border decentralised

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