TCS to apply for a new Consent Manager permit under DPDP Act

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is preparing to apply for a ‘consent manager’ permit under India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) rules. This move signals a strategic expansion by TCS into India’s rapidly evolving data privacy and governance ecosystem, as organizations across sectors brace for stricter regulatory oversight on personal data processing.

India’s new data protection regime is expected to create a Rs 10,000-crore compliance-as-a-service market over the next three years as businesses allocate resources towards privacy automation and services to comply with the norms.

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and its associated rules establish India’s first comprehensive legal framework for the protection of digital personal data. A central pillar of this framework is the concept of the consent manager. These entities act as neutral, regulated intermediaries that enable individuals to provide, manage, review, and withdraw consent for the use of their personal data in a transparent and standardized manner.

Consent managers are required to be registered with the Data Protection Board of India and must comply with strict eligibility criteria. These include incorporation in India, minimum net worth thresholds, robust technical safeguards, and demonstrable independence from data fiduciaries whose data they may help manage.

TCS’s decision to seek a consent manager permit reflects its intent to move beyond traditional IT services into high value data governance and privacy enablement offerings. By entering this space early, TCS aims to position itself as a trusted infrastructure provider for consent lifecycle management across industries such as banking, financial services, insurance, telecom, healthcare, and digital commerce.

Industry observers note that TCS already has deep relationships with large enterprises and government bodies, placing it in a strong position to integrate consent management solutions with existing enterprise systems, identity frameworks, and compliance platforms.