View AbstractThis paper examines the technological and regulatory trajectory of digital transformation in India from the pre-independence era to the present, focusing on state policies, civic engagement, and market forces through Harold Lasswell's model of "who gets what, when, how" (1936). This study employs historical institutional analysis and highlights the challenges of digital rights, addressing the divide, security, and emergence of "digital elites". The analysis is divided into four phases: Foundational Communications Infrastructure (pre-independence to 1980s), Liberalisation and Digital Revolution (1980s to early 2000s), Data Governance and Digital Economy (mid-2000s to 2018), and Data Rights and Data Protection (2018 onwards). The analysis reveals a three-stage evolution from monopoly to liberalisation and the rise of private entities, leading to the dominance of tech giants or DigiLords. The study identifies interventions enabling this concentration and demonstrates how illiteracy creates DigiSerf dependency. The paper concludes digitalisation requires protection of rights, ethical security measures, balanced government-market influences, and citizen-centric advancement.
Kashmir Journal of Social Sciences