Data as Oil: India Imposes Strict Controls on AI Devices and Biometrics

Emerging markets are building digital walls against transnational AI. On June 6, 2026, India's Ministry of Electronics and IT announced a radical tightening of state control over biometric systems and AI hardware devices.

This is a classic battle for technological sovereignty. India, with its colossal demographic base, refuses to be a free supplier of datasets (photos, voices, behavioral patterns) for training Western models. The new rules aim at data localization and strict auditing of devices that collect biometrics in real-time (from smart glasses to AI pendants, which Meta recently announced). The government in New Delhi is sending a clear signal: foreign corporations will no longer be able to freely harvest the country's citizens to improve their agents without undergoing heavy compliance procedures.

Source: Economic Times / Government of India