The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued a new Digital Evidence Manual, empowering tax officials to access data stored on offshore servers and digital platforms. New corporate law provisions require companies to maintain daily backups in India and disclose details of offshore data custodians. The manual also highlights the use of AI, digital wallets, and cryptocurrencies as potential sources of evidence, and advises on preserving offshore data for investigations.
The Government has directed tax officials to leverage new provisions under the Companies Act to access data stored on offshore servers and digital platforms. According to internal instructions shared with Income Tax officials on Tuesday, these rules will allow investigators to extract information that is often kept outside the country.
Companies Must Maintain Daily Backups in India
Under the revised corporate law provisions, companies are now required to maintain a daily backup of books of acc
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FAQ :
The manual aims to equip tax officials with updated guidelines to trace and access digital evidence, including data stored on offshore servers and through AI platforms.
Companies must now maintain daily backups of their accounts and related documents on servers located in India and disclose the details of any overseas service provider managing this data.
The manual recognises AI-powered platforms, digital wallets, and cryptocurrencies as potential sources of evidence and provides guidance for tracking digital trails related to them.
Tax officers are advised to preserve offshore data until recovery is possible, potentially using international channels like INTERPOL's G-8 24/7 Network.
Businesses, especially multinationals, need to review their data storage policies, ensure compliance with reporting requirements, and prepare for increased scrutiny of digital evidence.