How Colleges Are Failing DPDP 2023 — And How to Fix It

Colleges handle one of the highest risk datasets in India student records, fees, ID proofs, medical details, disciplinary reports. Yet most institutions are unintentionally violating the DPDP Act due to outdated systems and poor technical controls.

Here are the most common failures.

1. Outdated Student Portals

Many still run on:

• old PHP versions
• insecure login pages
• unencrypted databases

This violates every core security safeguard.

2. No Data Mapping

Colleges rarely know:

• what data they store
• where it moves
• who truly needs access

This makes compliance impossible.

3. Weak Consent Mechanisms

Most colleges collect consent through:

• admission forms with generic clauses
• bundled consents
• pre ticked declarations

All three violate DPDP rules.

4. Sensitive Data Stored in Excel Sheets

This is extremely common and extremely unsafe.

5. Poor Access Controls

Entire departments often have access to student data “just because.” DPDP requires a need to know model.

6. No Data Breach Response Plan

A breach in a college impacts thousands. Very few institutions have:

• incident response SOP
• notification plan
• containment steps

How to Fix It (Action Steps)

Final Note

Colleges that fix these issues early avoid fines and reputation loss. A technical compliance audit is the fastest, safest way to become DPDP ready.