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Key points about draft EU Data Protection Regulation and its potential impact

The 1995 European Data Protection Directive (implemented into UK by 1998 Data Protection Act) needs to be updated:

Law doesn't take account of new technologies – and more complex information networks
Lack of common European law: differences in national implementation impedes marketing
Consumer concern over privacy – high profile data security breaches, etc. leading to reducing permission to market

The European Commission's (EC) aim to reduce red tape and simplify bureaucracy is a welcome ambition – but these proposals do not achieve that:

Overly strict, bureaucratic and unworkable
There needs to be a fair balance between privacy and legitimate business interests
High cost of compliance and legal ambiguity will stifle innovation, deter investment and place unnecessary obstacles to e-commerce jobs growth
Will be particularly harmful to SMEs
Poorly defined rights will raise unrealistic expectations for consumers and possible confusion - in danger of creating a "tick box" culture for consumers
It is hard to say how the EC's estimate of 2.3 billion euros saving to businesses was calculated. DMA (UK) Ltd research shows that complying with the proposed regulation could cost companies an average of £76,000 each. It estimates a total loss to UK industry of up to £47 billion in lost sales

Specific provisions in the draft regulation

Opt-in and opt-out consent General rule for direct marketing – "explicit consent by clear statement or affirmative action"	Explicit consent for personally addressed direct marketing Would decimate prospect lists and the data industry Severely reduces brand-permissioned customer data If could not prove that there was consent, could mean scrapping whole databases Impacts growth by putting up the cost of customer acquisition Legacy databases – what about data collected under current law? Could create a 'tick box' culture if explicit consent needed every time – consumers could be put off or not take sufficient notice At odds with existing rules on voice calls, email and SMS marketing, which has 'existing customer' rule 'Balance of interests' exemption needs to be clarified
Definition of personal data Extended so could cover some IP addresses and cookies "a natural person who can be identified, directly or indirectly by means likely to be used by the Data Controller… in particular by reference to an identification number, location data, online identifier…"	Makes no distinction between data which is not directly identifiable and data which is, e.g. name and address IP addresses identify a device not an individual – and a device could be shared Web analytics and profiling made much more difficult, if not impossible Profiling is a legitimate business activity which benefits consumers, giving them more targeted and relevant marketing communications Huge implications for digital marketers – would limit commercial development Interaction with new cookie rules problematic
The right to be forgotten "The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data relating to them and the abstention from further dissemination of such data"	Paradox with need to keep details of anyone requesting deletion so that an organisation can "remember to forget" Problem of responsibility for information which has already been passed on to third parties Possibility of misleading consumers by raising unrealistic expectations – for example, some data (e.g. financial services) has to be kept for specific period Increased costs for data processing Use of suppression files? Drafted with social media in mind – but the proposals go beyond this and need clearer boundaries
Data breach notification Every organisation that suffers a data security breach would have to notify Information Commissioner's Office and the individuals concerned within 24 hours	Not always obvious if there has been a breach, how extensive it is, or which individuals are affected Problem of notification fatigue – with danger that no action is taken when there really is a problem No threshold level specified – some breaches are limited and relatively insignificant Unlikely that UK Information Commissioner's Office and national data protection authorities in other Member States could cope with the huge increase in workload
Subject Access Requests Data subjects to be able to request full information on data held on them free of any charge	Organisations can currently can levy a £10 fee – which doesn't cover costs but can deter time-wasters and frivolous or vexatious requests Costs organisations £50 million p.a. now to meet SARs – this would increase Proposal that can provide data in electronic form if data subject agrees to this – this is welcome
Marketing to Children General rule – parental consent required for under 18's Exception for online marketing to children above age of 13	No flexibility – a risk-based approach would be better Verifiable parental consent already problematic
Right to data portability	Meant to help consumers but could be unworkable Could deter investment in innovative products and services Extra costs to business to modify IT systems Implications for competition
International transfers of data to countries outside European Economic Area (EEA – 27 Member States of EU plus Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) Law would apply to any processing of data of EU citizens	Problems in applying rules beyond EEA Disincentive for non-EU firms to serve EU consumers In digital world, nationality not always obvious Doesn't reflect reality of 21st century global data world
Increase in fines/sanctions In stages, of up to 2% of global turnover or 1 million euros	Disproportionately high Could lead to organisations taking their business offshore or restructuring to avoid larger penalties
Powers to EU to implement secondary legislation through delegated acts	Over 40 proposed implementing and delegated acts These cover a lot of crucial detail which would not be clear until the Regulation was in force – the Commission could amend law without consultation Would lead to greater industry uncertainty Lack of democratic accountability – transferring power from national governments to European Commission
Appointment of designated Data Protection Officer for organisations with 250+ staff Accountability/Privacy by Design/Privacy by Default, etc	Expensive – proposal takes no account of nature of an organisation's business or how much/little data is handled High cost of compliance – including revision and issue of new T&Cs, employee guidance, staff training and increased documentation of all data processing
Right to compensation Any person who has suffered damage as a result of an unlawful processing operation…shall have the right to receive compensation from the controller or the processor	Increased burdens on business Processors in the UK will be liable for ex EEA controllers' mistakes Risks creating a claims culture Some mail handling operations will have to close

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