MeitY Launches DEPA Handbook for Secure Data Sharing in AI Training
MeitY launches the DEPA Handbook for AI Training to enable secure data sharing, protect privacy and IP, and support responsible AI development.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) Handbook for AI Training to provide a techno-legal framework for secure data sharing among institutions.
The handbook aims to enable organisations to collaborate and share data for AI training while retaining control over their data. It also addresses key concerns regarding privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, data ownership and institutional control, which often prevent organisations from sharing data for AI development.
MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan unveiled the handbook at a roundtable held in Bengaluru on October 31, 2026. The handbook was developed in collaboration with the iSPIRT Foundation.
Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, speaking about the DEPA framework for AI training. Credit: @GoI_MeitY/Twitter
How will the DEPA Framework Work?
According to the official release, the framework combines contractual permissions, controlled computing environments and privacy-enhancing safeguards to facilitate secure data sharing. It also incorporates data provenance, allowing the origin, permissions and usage of data to be tracked throughout the AI training process, thereby promoting accountability and transparency.
Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said the framework allows AI models to use data without institutions having to transfer their datasets.
“Under DEPA, the model travels to the data, rather than the data travelling to the model,” Sood said.
This approach can support collaboration between multiple institutions, including those working across national borders. It will also help researchers to use datasets for scientific studies and AI development while maintaining data protection measures.
MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan at the DEPA Handbook launch event in Bengaluru. Credit: @GoI_MeitY/ Twitter
Supporting Responsible AI Development
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly important for economic and social development, access to diverse, high-quality data is essential for building effective AI systems. However, concerns related to privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property and institutional control often restrict data sharing among organisations.
The DEPA Handbook aims to address these challenges by establishing a framework for secure and responsible data sharing, enabling greater collaboration among institutions and supporting AI development.