UK to scrap web cookie requests in post-Brexit data revamp
The UK will scrap “pointless” web cookie requests as part of a major package of reforms that will replace the EU’s data laws with a new post-Brexit regime.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden today unveiled a string of new measures designed to harness the power of data to drive growth and create jobs.
The move will see large parts of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) scrapped in a bid to cut down on red tape and deliver a so-called Brexit dividend.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Dowden said he planned to get rid of “pointless bureaucracy” such as cookie requests while also upholding privacy.
“There’s an opportunity for us to set world-leading, gold standard data regulation which protects privacy, but does so in as light touch a way as possible,” he said.
A consultation into the future of the UK’s data regime will be launched in the coming weeks.
As part of the reforms, the government also named New Zealand privacy commissioner John Edwards as its preferred candidate to lead the UK data watchdog.
Replacing existing information commissioner Elizabeth Denham, he will be empowered to go beyond the traditional role of protecting data rights with a mandate to promote further innovation and economic growth.
In a further effort to carve out Britain’s global standing after Brexit, the UK will now look to sign multi-billion-pound data partnerships with other countries to help speed up the transfer of data across borders.
The US, Australia, Korea, Singapore, Dubai and Colombia have been named as the first target partnerships, while countries including India and Brazil have been earmarked for future deals.
“Now that we have left the EU I’m determined to seize the opportunity by developing a world-leading data policy that will deliver a Brexit dividend for individuals and businesses across the UK,” said culture secretary Dowden.
“That means seeking exciting new international data partnerships with some of the world’s fastest growing economies, for the benefit of British firms and British customers alike.
“It means reforming our own data laws so that they’re based on common sense, not box-ticking. And it means having the leadership in place at the Information Commissioner’s Office to pursue a new era of data-driven growth and innovation.”