The UK Government has relaunched its efforts to reform the UK’s data protection regime, with the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (No. 2) (the “Bill“) being introduced to Parliament on Wednesday 8 March. The Bill supersedes a previous version that was originally published in July 2022 (see our previous legal update).
The Bill provides organisations with greater flexibility over the use of personal data, while reducing the burden of complying with UK data protection laws. The Bill does not comprise an extensive overhaul of the UK’s data protection laws, but rather a set of clarifications and adjustments to provide organisations with greater flexibility over the use of personal data, while reducing the burden of complying with UK data protection laws. Businesses that already comply with the UK’s existing data protection laws will not be required to take additional steps to comply with the Bill. However, some businesses might decide to take advantage of the changes proposed in the Bill to streamline their data protection compliance in the UK.