Empanel, Engage, Empower

Contact secretary@aidai.org.in for details of registration.

Naavi

Naavi

To facilitate that during the CIDA program all will have the required background on DPDPA and its implementation, FDPPI is conducting a curtain raiser program on 10th August 2026 (Virtual) at 10.00 am.

All persons who register for the CIDA event will have a free entry to this mini event. Others can join at a fee of Rs 3540/- including GST.

If the participants of this program later register for CIDA program, there will be a discount of the amount of Rs 3540/- from the amount payable for CIDA.

Kindly contact FDPPI for more details.

Naavi

On August 21, 22 and 23, FDPPI will be conducting the first CIDA (Certified Independent Data Auditor) program in Bangalore.

It will be a physical event at Fairfield Marriott hotel in Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore (Location).

The curriculum for the event has already been published . 

Earlier we used to conduct a program under the banner C.DPO.DA which was “Certified Data Protection Officer and Data Auditor”. This program was available both for those who were aspiring to be DPOs and those who wanted to be Data Auditors. Now we have two different training and certification programs called CEDPO (Certified Elite DPO) fand CIDA (Certified Independent Data Auditor).

Since an Independent Data Auditor is some body who has to check the work of a DPO, he needs to be as much competent as a DPO in addition to his audit skills.

Considering that many of the participants of the August 21 program might not have gone through the earlier program on DPDPA and DPO requirements. We will supplement the physical CIDA program with a virtual masterclass on CEDO in a compressed form. This will be available free for those who register for CIDA till 9th August 2026. It will be held as a 3 hour session on probably 10th August 2026. (Sunday). Those who attend may also appear for the CEDPO examination by paying an examination fee of Rs 5000/-

Interested persons need to complete the registration for CIDA as early as possible. (Early Bird discount is available till 31st July 2026).

The total fee for CIDA program is Rs 30000+GST of Rs 5400 (Total Rs 35400/-)

The Early bird discounted price is Rs 25000/- +GST of Rs 4500/- (Total Rs 29500/-)

Master class : free for all registrants till 16th August 2026. Time: 10.00 am.

For those who have not registered for CIDA, there would be a fee of Rs 3540/- including GST. This can be adjusted with the final registration  fee for CIDA.

Examination fee Rs 5000/- (If required.

Request all to make use of this opportunity.

Naavi

Some photographs of the Chennai event are available here.

The video of the entire program is also available here:

AIDAI/FDPPI has organized an awareness program on the profession of Independent Data Auditors in Chennai on 17th July 2026 at Hotel Palmgrove.

REGISTER HERE: 

(Registration fee: Rs 500/-: May be paid here: )

Interested persons may register as indicated above.

Naavi

Yesterday (June 6), FDPPI conducted the First Induction Training for those who had empanelled as Independent Data  Auditors.  The program went on very well and the participants enjoyed the first of its kind program.

The Program started with an introductory talk from Naavi. Then a panel discussion on “Code of Ethics” was held. A second Panel discussion on Role of Independent Data Auditors followed.

Subsequently,  some of the Advisors of AIDAI who were physically present. (Mr Rakesh Maheshwari, Sudarshan Mandyam and Mr Madhava Murthy) shard their valuable views.

Post Lunch, Dr Ramasastry Ambarish, Director of MYRA  shared his thoughts on the involvement of Academic  institutions in the development of Data Auditors. Mr Mahndra, CTO, of MYRA shared his views on some technical aspects of Data Breach management.

Then a third panel discussion on the Challenges of Independent Data Auditors was held. Finally an interesting role play was conduced on the “Case of Ramya”.

During the discussions, several new thoughts emerged and they will be discussed in due course.

An Audio track of the event was taken on record through the Zoom. A clean video recording is under development.

Some important suggestions that came up during the discussions which will be further discussed include

a) whether  the Auditors should be voluntarily rotated after 2 or three years

b) Whether the share holders of a company should approve the appointment.

c) Whether Scoping of an  Audit be done by some body other than the Management and the Auditor

d) Increasing the value of the FDPPI certifications by building Association with other Certification bodies and Academic institutions.

AIDAI will consider adopting some of  these provisions into their activities.

Naavi

More photos of the event available here

The first batch of empanelled IDAs will be provided a one day Induction course on June 6, 2026 at Bengaluru.

During the program, we will focus on understanding the role of  an Independent Data Auditor and how would it differ from the role of an ISO 27001 lead auditor.

A reference will be made to the DGPSI framework but the frameworks themselves will not be discussed in detail.

We hope participants will take the maximum advantage of the event.

For those who cannot attend the event physically, we will try to conduct a similar event in a short time at Mumbai and Delhi. On a later day we may provide a virtual version of the event also.

We look forward to seeing you all on June 6th.

Naavi

The profession of Independent Data Auditor is the new destination for those professionals who were so far feeling left out of the DPDPA revolution in India.

DPDPA expects every Significant Data Fiduciary to appoint an Independent Data Auditor for an annual Compliance Audit or DPIA.

AIDAI has adopted the principle of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” and inviting professionals such as Advocates, ISO 27001 auditors, Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants and other auditors who are already auditing Data for different purposes to join the community of “Independent Data Auditor”.

To explain what this means, we are inviting you for a webinar on 23rd May 2026 at 11.00 am.

The Secretary of AIDAI has sent the following message which is meant for all professionals who are interested in knowing what an IDA is :

Dear Professional Friends,

We are delighted to inform you that the ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT DATA AUDITORS OF INDIA (AIDAI), was established in April 2026 as a pioneering new vertical of FOUNDATION OF DATA PROTECTION PROFESSIONALS IN INDIA (FDPPI).

This initiative marks a significant milestone in India’s evolving data protection and digital governance landscape, arriving at a time when organisations across sectors are preparing to align themselves with the transformative framework introduced under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Regime.

AIDAI has been conceived as a forward-looking professional platform dedicated to building a credible ecosystem of INDEPENDENT DATA AUDITORS (IDA) capable of supporting organisations in achieving robust privacy and compliance standards. The platform creates a unique and timely professional pathway for experienced CAs, ICMAs, CS, Legal, GST practitioners and similarly placed professionals, and Governance practitioners, presently in auditing field, to expand their expertise into the rapidly emerging domain of Data Protection Auditing and Privacy Compliance Services. For more information, please listen to YouTube presentations @

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2JWVG47Qk  and

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4MF_RdCAX4&t=390s

As you are aware FDPPI is a Section 8 non-profit organisation driven by a nationwide network of distinguished Data Protection and Privacy professionals under the able leadership of Vijayashankar Nagaraja Rao, popularly known as Naavi, a pioneer in the field of Cyber Laws in India. With a vibrant membership base of over 500 professionals across India, FDPPI has consistently worked towards promoting awareness, capacity building, professional excellence, and responsible data governance practices in the country.

Now AIDAI aims to expand privacy-compliance services by formally empanelling qualified professionals to perform DATA PROTECTION AUDITS, ASSESSMENTS, AND ADVISORY SERVICES for businesses seeking compliance under DPDPA 2023, DPDP Rules 2025, and related frameworks. Here are 3 different Empanelment categories of IDA’s and their benefits

1) Probationary Independent Data Auditor (PIDA): Rs3540/- inclusive of GST

Empanelment of Probationary Independent Data Auditors is open to all interested persons to take up Data Auditing.

Benefits: Mentored placement with experienced auditors, discounted training and practice labs, access to sample audit materials, and a pathway to AIDA upon meeting experience and training milestones.

2) Accredited Independent Data Auditor (AIDA): Rs7080/- inclusive of GST

Empanelment  of Accredited Independent Auditors is restricted to those who hold relevant certifications in Privacy or Information Security or Law or Chartered Accountancy, or Cost Accountancy or Company Secretary or other approved certifications. (Check for clarification if required). Necessary evidence needs to be provided for confirmation.

Benefits: Inclusion in AIDAI directory, eligibility for Sectorial-focused audit projects, access to audit templates and checklists, discounted FDPPI resources and webinars, and referral support for client engagements.

3) Certified Independent Data Auditor (CIDA) : Rs11800/- inclusive of GST

Empanelment of Certified Independent Data Auditors is restricted to those who have passed the CIDA examination of FDPPI.

Benefits: Priority listing for large-scale audit assignments, eligibility to lead multi-auditor engagements, FDPPI endorsement for client proposals, continuing professional development credits, and preferential rates on FDPPI training and certification renewals.

Welcome to Introductory Free Webinar: Saturday, 23rd May 2026 @ 11:00AM to introduce AIDAI, explain the empanelment process, and answer your questions, we are organizing a webinar on Saturday, 23rd May 2026 @ 11:00AM.

The session will cover empanelment criteria, application process, code of conduct, empanelment workflow, and commercial terms. There will be a live Q&A to address role-specific queries for Legal and GST professionals.

Please register to join the webinar using the Zoom link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88286391275?pwd=wrP6fgGrCWTOVPv9p53RFvo22JgeJo.1

Meeting ID: 882 8639 1275
Passcode: 700473

Time: Saturday, 23rd May 2026 @ 11:00AM

We believe AIDAI will create meaningful professional opportunities and help expand high-quality data protection audit capacity, especially for MSMEs that need practical, affordable compliance support. We look forward to your participation and questions during the webinar.

Warm regards,

Srivatsa. R
Chapter Representative, FDPPI / AIDAI
secretary@aidai.org.in

For more details visit https://aidai.org.in  and  https://fdppi.in;