Britons could obtain more control over what happens to personal information under proposals outlined by the government.
Citizens will be able to ask for personal data, or information posted when they were children, to be deleted.
The proposals are part of an overhaul of UK data protection laws drafted under Digital Minister, Matt Hancock.
Firms that flout the law will face bigger fines, levied by the UK’s data protection watchdog.
The bill will transfer the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) into UK law.
Heavy fine
“The new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world,” said Mr Hancock in a statement.
“It will give people more control over their data, require more consent for its use, and prepare Britain for Brexit,” he added.
Proposals included in the bill will:
- make it simpler for people to withdraw consent for their personal data to be used
- let people ask for data to be deleted
- require firms to obtain “explicit” consent when they process sensitive personal data
- expand personal data to include IP addresses, DNA and small text files known as cookies
- let people get hold of the information organisations hold on them much more freely
- make re-identifying people from anonymised or pseudonymised data a criminal offence
This places a strong burden on firms to protect data and allows for significant fines if they fail to protect information or suffer a breach.
Read full article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40826062