The prudent stewardship of personal data can be a delicate and onerous task for British businesses, but less red tape and greater flexibility in managing this material could soon be within their sight.
Freed from the EU’s shackles, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is seeking to modernise the UK’s bureaucratic data protection regime by creating a “bold” new system, all in the name of aiding economic growth. And, at first glance, the wide-ranging proposals published in its September 2021 consultation document, Data: a new direction, seem distinctly pro-business, signalling a shift from hidebound processes to greater accountability.
It’s hard to imagine how the government’s commitment towards “unleashing data’s power… for the benefit of British businesses” could simultaneously enhance consumers’ rights. It is often said that privacy is a right, not a privilege, but there is a balance to be struck.