Stick to EU privacy rules, tech firms urge UK
TECHNOLOGY companies have urged the Government against using postbrexit freedoms to break significantly from EU privacy rules, fearing that a big divergence could cut off cross-channel flows of data.
Techuk, an industry body, said that it was crucial that Britain retain an “adequacy” agreement with Brussels as it embarks on a shakeup of privacy laws designed to boost research and ease restrictions on companies.
It comes after the Government announced a consultation on relaxing data laws by departing from some elements of the EU’S strict GDPR laws that remain in force after Brexit.
Brussels has warned the UK that if it diverges from the laws too much it could scrap a four-year adequacy agreement reached in the summer.
Adequacy agreements allow businesses to transfer data across borders without requiring legal agreements from users.
“Encouraging innovation need not come at the cost of weakening of data protection standards,” techuk said.
“The objective must be to ensure that innovation is enabled, citizens are able to exercise their rights and the UK is seen as a secure location for international data. Businesses will want to see the UK maintain its data adequacy agreement with the EU.”
Antony Walker, techuk’s deputy chief executive, said: “We don’t see any reason why the UK should do anything that would cause that agreement to fail.” Data sharing agreements between the EU and US have repeatedly been struck down in European courts after legal challenges.
Diverging from the EU laws would not automatically break data links between the UK and Europe, which has similar agreements with 13 countries.
However, Britain would have to show that EU citizens’ data is protected if transferred to the UK.
One area of dispute could be the possible removal of Article 22, a part of EU law that gives people the right to human review of decisions made by an algorithm.
Proponents of removing the article say it could help make Britain a leader in artificial intelligence, but campaigners say it provides a check on important decisions such as loans and jobs being made by AI.