Legal news
Data protection laws - views required
Plans were outlined this week to seek views on the European Data Protection Directive and the Data Protection Act to ensure that current laws continue to safeguard people’s personal data in the 21st Century.
The Ministry of Justice has issued a Call for Evidence on current data protection legislation, asking for views on how the European Directive and the Data Protection Act are working, the impact of data protection on individuals and business, and whether the current powers and penalties of the Information Commissioner could be strengthened.
This comes ahead of the negotiations on a new EU data protection instrument.
"Since these laws were introduced just over a decade ago, the way we live our lives has been radically transformed by the digital revolution. Whether we are shopping online, banking or renewing our passport, we are handing over the keys to our personal information almost daily," said Lord McNally.
"We want to gather evidence and views on whether the current data protection laws are working in light of social and technological changes since the mid-1990s," he explained. "As individuals, citizens and consumers, we have the right to know our data is properly protected, and the Government is keen to gather evidence about how helpful the existing legislation is, as well as ideas on how the current data protection regime can be improved."
"This Government is committed to protecting civil liberties and personal privacy, and we want to make sure that current laws do not allow unreasonable intrusions into people’s lives – while balancing this with the need to ensure the laws are not placing undue burdens on business and other organisations that collect personal data," he said.
The Call for Evidence closes on 6th October.
July
2010
Fraudulent insurance claims - clarity needed
(09 July 2010)
Data protection laws - views required
(07 July 2010)
Implementing the Equalities Act
(05 July 2010)
Crofting Reform Bill
(02 July 2010)