The House of Commons Library has published a Research Briefing paper on the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, providing in-depth analysis of the proposed legislation.

The Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 18 July 2022. The Bill was scheduled to have its second reading on 5 September 2022, but in a Business Statement on that date, the Government said that following the election of Liz Truss as Conservative Party leader, the second reading would not take place as scheduled to allow Ministers to consider the Bill further.

The Government has said the Bill is intended to update and simplify the UK’s data protection framework to reduce burdens on organisations while maintaining high data protection standards. The governance structure and powers of the Information Commissioner’s Office would be reformed and transferred to a new body, the Information Commission.

The Bill would also:

• establish a framework for the provision of digital verification services to enable digital identities to be used with the same confidence as paper documents;
• increase fines for nuisance calls and texts under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR);
• update the PECR rules to cut down on “user consent” pop-ups and banners;
• allow for the sharing of customer data through smart data schemes to provide services such as personalised market comparisons and account management; and
• facilitate the flow and use of personal data for law enforcement and national security purposes.

To access the Research Briefing, click here.