Regulating Political Microtargeting in India: Legal Imperatives for Democratic Accountability and Data Privacy

This article critically examines the need for regulating political microtargeting in India to uphold democratic accountability and protect voter data privacy. It argues that the current legal framework, including emerging data protection laws, insufficiently addresses the unique challenges posed by microtargeted political campaigns. Unregulated microtargeting allows political actors to disseminate tailored, and sometimes misleading, messages to narrow audiences without broader public scrutiny, undermining the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. At the same time, the mass collection and profiling of personal data for political advertising occurs largely outside robust privacy safeguards, putting citizens’ informational autonomy at risk. The article analyzes gaps in existing election law and data privacy regimes, highlighting the absence of clear accountability mechanisms and privacy protections for microtargeting practices. It proposes legal reforms, such as stricter data protection obligations for political parties, transparency requirements for online political advertising, and oversight by election authorities, to mitigate these risks. Such measures are imperative to reinforce democratic integrity and individual privacy in India’s digital political landscape.