DPDP-Compliant Data Architecture: Beyond Encryption

With the introduction of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023, India has fundamentally changed how businesses must handle personal data. For engineering teams, this isn't just about "updating the privacy policy"—it's about re-architecting how data flows through your system.

The Principle of Data Minimization

The core of DPDP is simple: don't collect what you don't need. In our work on the Enterprise Canteen Hub, we faced the challenge of implementing facial recognition while staying compliant.

1. Vector Extraction vs. Image Storage

Instead of storing raw images of users, our pipeline immediately processes the camera feed to extract a mathematical representation (a vector). The raw image is purged from memory instantly. We store only the high-dimensional vector, which is useless outside of our specific recognition algorithm. This minimizes the risk of PII (Personally Identifiable Information) exposure.

2. Purpose Limitation in Code

DPDP requires that data be used only for the purpose for which consent was given. We've implemented this at the database level using scoped access tokens and isolated microservices. A service responsible for attendance logic cannot, by design, access a user's contact information unless explicitly authorized by a separate consent flag.

Consent Management as an API

Managing consent is no longer a checkbox; it's a dynamic state. We architected a unified Consent Service that:

Logs the exact timestamp and version of the privacy policy agreed to.
Provides a "Withdrawal Endpoint" that triggers an automated deletion cascade across all related database tables (Right to Erasure).
Generates audit-ready logs for compliance officers without exposing user data.

Conclusion

The DPDP Act is a milestone for digital rights in India. For Novus Stack, it's an opportunity to build systems that are secure by design and compliant by default. Building trust with your users starts with how you respect their data in your database.

Is your architecture DPDP-ready? Our experts can perform a technical audit.