Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Government to reform data protection laws to spur economic growth

Government to reform data protection laws to spur economic growth

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden implied the regulations will become more business-friendly now the UK has left the EU.

The UK's data protection laws face being reformed to be more business-friendly as the government aims to spur economic growth following the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The digital secretary Oliver Dowden said that Britain should take a "slightly less European approach" to privacy, referencing the EU's General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), "by focusing more on the outcomes that we want to have and less on the burdens".

He spoke as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport celebrated the country's technology industry, which it said was advertising 116,000 jobs in March "representing a recovery to pre-pandemic levels" and up from 85,000 vacancies in January.

The UK will take a 'slightly less European approach' to data privacy


"As we move from sustaining the economy [during the pandemic], to the real drive for growth - and goodness knows, we're going to need a huge amount of growth - digital and tech are absolutely at the forefront of that," said Mr Dowden.

"I'm seeking to set out where we are going to go with data now that we have left the European Union and are not subject to EU jurisdiction."

Although the UK is not directly subject to the EU's jurisdiction, it is still dependent on the European Commission assessing that its data protection laws are adequate enough to ensure EU citizens' data is not put at greater risk when in the UK.

The European Commission published a draft data adequacy decision in February which found the UK's data protection regime was largely identical to its own, but some experts warn that reforms and trade deals could challenge that assessment.

There are no plans to immediately introduce new legislation, but the secretary of state cited the "can-do attitude" of the Information Commissioner's Office during the pandemic as an opportunity to begin developing the British model of data protection.

"I think there's a chance in appointing the new Information Commissioner - I'm looking for somebody that is not just focusing on data through a negative prism of how we stop harms, but also driving growth opportunities, both through public policy, but also through creating opportunities for business.

"I'm very keen that we ensure that we continue to have strong data protections and indeed that's why the EU has provisionally recognised us as data adequate, but I think there's real opportunities for driving growth in respect of data," he added.

The EU data protection model is 'increasingly protectionist', said Mr Dowden


One of the strategic questions the UK faces following Brexit is how it navigates the differing models regarding data protection used between the world's major powers.

Mr Dowden said: "Clearly countries like China have a very strong state role, if you look to the US they have the interests of very large tech companies predominate them, and I think the EU increasingly looks to a slightly more protectionist view of data.

"I think there's a sweet spot for the UK whereby we hold on to many of the strengths of GDPR in terms of giving people security about their data - and I'd be very worried if, in reforming our data laws, people's confidence in sharing data was undermined. GDPR provides a baseline for that.

"But there are obvious areas where I think we can make more progress," Mr Dowden added.

Among those is quickly concluding data adequacy agreements with third countries outside of the EU, something which the secretary of state said the bloc has been "very slow" at.

"Clearly I'll be looking to consult and engage with industry about how we achieve that, and with wider civic society. We're not going to move precipitately but I do think there's an opportunity to have a more pro-growth, more pro-public policy approach," he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×