The 2017 Queenâs Speech

The Government will introduce a new data protection bill and a digital charter as part of its legislative agenda for the coming two years.

The press has focused on how the Queen’s Speech will have an impact on the ongoing Brexit negotiations.

However, there two key announcements regarding data that will have an effect on DMA members.

Firstly, the new Data Protection Bill will “ensure that the United Kingdom retains its world-class regime protecting personal data.”

One of the main aims of the Bill will be to make the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into UK domestic law but it is not limited to the GDPR.

Once the UK leaves the EU it will become more difficult for organisations to exchange data between EU countries and the UK. The Government claims that by implementing this Bill, the UK will be in the best position possible to freely trade data with EU countries and across the world.

A Tory manifesto commitment pledged to require social networks to delete information held about people at the age of 18 and the Bill will address this point.

The new law would replace the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Government believes it will: “strengthen rights and empower individuals to have more control over their personal data, including a right to be forgotten when individuals no longer want their data to be processed, provided that there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it.”

The second proposal is for a digital charter that aims to make the UK the best place in the world to start and run a digital business within a safe online environment.

Theresa May’s Government will work with a variety of different organisations to draw up this digital charter including consulting with charities, private sector companies, international partners and technology companies.

The government hopes it will develop a consensus with other nations, citing an agreement with G7 countries to strengthen their work with technology companies.

It was encouraging to see Government recognising the contribution of the digital economy. It states that 70% of all trade services come from data flows, meaning that data protection is vital to international trade. Furthermore, the digital sector contributed £118 billion to the UK economy.