We are sharing this update from ACCA, our professional body, for the interest of clients and contacts. The content is (c) ACCA
Some website cookies rules will go as the government promises to scrap key parts of the EU’s GDPR
The government is expected to announce data regulation reforms which will cut costs for businesses, boost innovation and drive growth, opportunities and jobs.
The plans include getting rid of ‘pointless’ cookie pop-ups for most websites (with some exceptions), as there is an awful lot of needless bureaucracy and box ticking. The actual focus should be on protecting people’s privacy but with as light a touch as possible.
It was announced that John Edwards is the government’s preferred candidate to be the next Information Commissioner. Edwards, who is currently the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, is expected to shake up current data regulations and the government has said he would ‘go beyond the regulator’s traditional role’.
The government has also said it will make new ‘data adequacy’ partnerships that will make it easier for businesses to send people’s personal data internationally. Data adequacy is about agreeing that data protections are similar in two countries so that personal information remains safe. The UK currently has a data adequacy agreement with the EU, but that could change if UK data laws diverge too far from EU rules.
According to the government, billions of pounds worth of trade goes unrealised around the world due to barriers associated with data transfers.