Concept
Personal data is any data about an individual who can be identified from it, or in relation to it. The DPDP Act applies to such data in digital form.
"personal data" means any data about an individual who is identifiable by or in relation to such data.
If a piece of information can be tied back to a specific person, directly or combined with other data, it is personal data. Names, phone numbers, account IDs and location can all qualify.
The Act governs digital personal data: data in digital form, or collected on paper and later digitised. Genuinely anonymous data that cannot identify anyone falls outside it.
A customer's email and order history held by a shop are personal data. An aggregate order count with no way to trace individuals is not.
See how this term differs from the ones people most often confuse it with.
Personal Data vs Digital Personal Data →Does the Act cover paper records?
It covers digital personal data, including non-digital data digitised later. Purely offline records never digitised are outside its scope.
Is anonymised data personal data?
No, if it genuinely cannot identify anyone. Once it can be linked back to a person, it is personal data again.