In the latest UK Data Protection Index survey results, an established panel of 582 UK privacy professionals have voted overwhelmingly against the stated benefits of the proposed UK Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill.
The UK DP Index was launched in 2020 by The DPO Centre and Data Protection World Forum. This quarter, the panel of DPOs was asked for their views on the proposed Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill. Intended as an update to the current UK GDPR, which is the retained version of the EU GDPR post-Brexit. The new bill from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) seeks to drive innovation and help organisations reduce costs and administrative burdens.
During a second reading of the bill on 17 April 2023, the Minister for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Julia Lopez, stated there was “no intention of causing a compliance headache for UK firms.”
However, the UK DP Index panel has expressed a resoundingly negative view of all aspects of the stated benefits of the bill and disagrees with the assertions that the bill will simplify privacy administration and benefit individuals’ rights.
When asked whether the UK should deviate from the current data protection law, 86% of the panel said we should not be diverging from the EU GDPR. Only 9% of respondents thought the new bill was a step forward, with an overwhelming 91% thinking otherwise.
A negative response was also given by 94% of the panel when asked whether the new bill would simplify privacy management for their organisations.
Regarding financial savings, one of the key objectives of the proposed bill, 75% of DPO respondents said they did not think any cost reductions would be generated by the proposed changes.
In terms of data subjects (that’s you and I) and our best interests – one of the most important factors and the primary objective of privacy law – a staggering 92% of the DPO panel believe the new UK privacy bill will not benefit data subjects.
Questions on other matters included what DPOs believe their respective organisations’ biggest challenges will be over the coming year, with AI and machine learning up eleven points since last quarter. In terms of budget predictions, 54% of the panel expect budgets to remain the same, which is down 3% from last quarter.
Rob Masson, CEO of The DPO Centre said, “The DP Index results this quarter are fascinating and utterly damning of the new UK data protection bill.
“With results also showing the highest ever DPO confidence levels in organisations’ privacy compliance, a big question is do we want to damage this confidence and create further confusion by changing the regime? Something the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology needs to be asking themselves. Perhaps they should start listening to the professionals on the ground, who will be responsible for implementing the proposed changes and ensuring their organisations remain compliant with both UK and EU legislation separately.”
Full details of the UK Data Protection Index Report, with statistics on the key findings, can be found here.
