This is our public briefing note on the UK’s Data Protection and Digital Information (No.2) Bill. Our main points are:
- Data is a significant driver of power and progress in modern democratic societies. It has become the medium of relationships between citizens and the state, and between consumers and companies, as well as being the foundation of AI and automated decision making. How it’s regulated affects almost every aspect of our work and lives.
- The Data Protection and Digital Information (No.2) Bill trades off citizen data rights for marginal and unproven economic benefits while undermining existing safeguards, parliamentary sovereignty, and democratic governance of data.
- The Bill misses a critical opportunity to build public confidence in technology and innovation and deliver business and public benefit. It should give citizens and communities a powerful say through a combination of meaningful individual rights, powerful collective representation, and proper democratic scrutiny and accountability.
