Will the UK Drop GDPR?

Despite promises back in 2018 that European GDPR rules enshrined in The Privacy Act 2018 were here to stay post Brexit, the Conservative Party have been making the case that it limits trade and its modification would do well to position the UK as the nexus for World data.

Britain’s digital minister ,Michelle Donelan, says the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is “limiting the potential of our businesses,” and is vowing to cut data protection “red tape,” for the “newly independent nation free of EU bureaucracy.”

The recently appointed Michelle Donelan said the UK planned to “seize this post-Brexit opportunity fully, and unleash the full growth potential of British business,” claiming: “We can be the bridge across the Atlantic and operate as the world’s data hub.”

UK Business owners, their tech partners who will shoulder the workload and particularly organisations with international ties however will no doubt groan at the cost of meeting the requirements of the proposed simplifications. The UK’s proposed new legislation is proceeding through Parliament in the guise of Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDIB).

In likelihood the DPDIB will not change much. It will offer a level of equivalence or “Adequacy” to GDPR like Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and even the US State of California are moving towards. The key focus seems to be relaxing the definitions of consent which is central to GDPR. This might impact the Legitimate Interest Test on which much marketing activity currently hangs. In short the UK without these controls could become a free for all so will require careful wording by the lawmakers.

Privacy must be a central part of your organisations data strategy. Compliance with the legislation is policed by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) with its capability of handing out crippling fines to organisations and their Directors. Privacy is fundamental to your policies for the treatment of data and information security yet it is poorly understood and managed by UK businesses as it is. IT Ambulance has its own Certified Information Privacy Managers (CIPM) available to consult with you regarding your obligations and objectives.

Don’t risk it, book a consultation today.

http://www.itambulance.co.uk