Hyderabad, March 7 -- Bharat Rashtra Smaithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Friday, March 7 said that the Centre's new Income Tax Bill poses a threat to digital privacy of citizens.

KTR said that the new Income Tax Bill seeks to grant IT officials unchecked access to social media, emails, and online trading accounts under the guise of tax scrutiny. He opined that the unprecedented access to virtual spaces could lead to misuse, harassment and mass surveillance.

The former Telangana minister added that With financial data already subject to multiple reporting mechanisms, this draconian intrusion tramples on citizens' fundamental rights and digital privacy.

"Who will hold officials accountable if there is any misuse of this ...