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A new post-Brexit law designed to crack down on nuisance calls and repeat pop-ups could come into effect within months.
The Data Protection and Digital Information bill, due to be tabled in the House of Commons on Monday, will raise fines for spam calls from £500,000 to £17.5m, or up to four per cent of the company’s turnover. agency.
The bill will also reduce the number of “consent pop-ups” people see online that repeatedly ask users to allow websites to collect data about their visits.
The law was touted by ministers as “one of Brexit’s biggest payoffs”.
The bill will also make it easier and faster for people to verify their identity online as people will now be able to create certified digital identities that make verification easier.
It also creates the possibility of using personal digital data for “research purposes”.
Current data laws are murky about how scientists can process personal data, which they say prevents them from completing vital research.
The definition of scientific research in the new bill is intentionally vague and could include innovative research into new technological developments.
It is hoped that the new bill’s proposals will improve the UK’s ability to strike deals with other countries, theoretically allowing British businesses to make billions of pounds from data trading.
Data-driven trade generated 85% of total UK services exports and contributed around £259 billion to the economy in 2021.
The law also aims to modernize the structure of the Information Commissioner’s Office, including the appointment of a chairman, chief executive officer and board of directors.
In addition, companies will no longer need a data protection officer, only a data controller, and will be able to refuse requests from individuals for their data if the requests are “abusive or excessive”.
The bill was designed to remove prescriptive requirements inherited from the European Union’s complex General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its “one size fits all” approach.
Announcing the bill tomorrow, Data Minister Julia Lopez is expected to say: “This bill will maintain the high standards of data protection that Britons rightly expect.
“But it will also help the people who use our data make our lives healthier, safer and more prosperous.
“That’s because we co-designed it with those people, to ensure our regulation reflects how real people live their lives and run their businesses.”
Innovation Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said earlier: ‘Our system will be easier to understand, easier to comply with and take advantage of the many opportunities in post-Brexit Britain. Our businesses and citizens will no longer have to tangle around barrier-based EU GDPR.”
“Our new laws free UK business from unnecessary red tape to unlock new breakthroughs, drive forward next-generation technologies, create jobs and boost our economy.”
