Michelle Donelan MP has said the newly proposed Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDI) will make “things as simple and easy as possible for businesses” as the new GDPR legislation “benefits everyone”.
Speaking at the DMA Data 2023 conference earlier this week, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology said industry leaders and experts had “worked with the government to co-design the data bill”, which is expected to save the UK economy more than £4 billion over the next 10 years.
Introduced by the government on 8 March 2023, the new privacy and data protection laws have been designed to cut down on pointless paperwork for businesses and reduce annoying cookie pops-up.
Described by the DMA as “pro-growth” reforms which have been “achieved through industry collaboration”, the proposed changes are expected to provide businesses with legislative clarity, while maintaining a high standard of protection for customers.
“We’ve been able to clearly identify the problems faced by many marketers,” Donelan told the audience.
“In fact, a recent report found that 81% of European publishers were unknowingly in breach of GDPR, despite doing what they thought the law required them to do. A YouGov poll from this year also found that one in five marketing professionals in the UK admit to knowing absolutely nothing about GDPR.
“We want people to comply with our new data protection regime, because they understand the benefits that it brings to them, their family and their businesses. This means making things as simple and as easy as possible for businesses, while maintaining the very high standards that the British customers quite rightly expect. With the right regulation, everyone benefits.”
Donelan said businesses and charities need to be able to reach confident consumers who are clear about what happens with their data, pointing out that it has been five years since GDPR first came into force.
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“I believe that we have an opportunity to put the lessons that we’ve learned into practice, bringing together the very best parts of data legislation from across the globe to build a a bespoke and simplified version of the regulation that is right for the UK.
“Now UK GDPR will build on the strengths of EU GDPR to allow us to continue to trade and share data across Europe safely, which is absolutely vital.”
In addition to reducing the number of “repetitive cookie pop-ups” putting “unnecessary burdens and barriers between businesses and their customers”, the secretary of state is looking to make things “clearer, easier and cheaper” for the small companies who account for 99% of UK business.
“We will make sure that businesses and charities can better understand what they need to consent to, and the processing of personal data,” she said.
“This bill makes clear that attracting and retaining customers and donors through direct marketing may be a legitimate interest providing businesses and charities with the confidence that they need to succeed whilst providing customers with the final decision to object to marketing if they wish.”
Touching on the soft opt-in email, Donelan stated that the new function “will even the playing field for charities” letting them get in touch with donors and volunteers, providing a “crucial boost for their crucial work”.
“By getting rid of overly demanding rules which require the appointment of a data protection officer, we will ensure that our smallest businesses and charities can meet those same high standards without being drowned by admin,” she continued.
“Making laws that are too complex and too complicated to follow erodes trust and that’s exactly why we’re taking a common sense approach to this bill.”
