One of the big drivers for a renewed focus on data as an asset from the UK government, such as the Data Use and Access Bill, is the financial impact it can have on the nation – with estimates of £10 billion towards the UK economy across ten years by legislating on data sharing. The aspired positive impacts touted by the Bill range from improved social services for parents to reduced disruption from road works.
Benefits of the Data Use and Access Bill are expected to include:
- The creation of a digital register for births and deaths.
- The freeing up of access to personal information, akin to financial data rules in the past.
- Energy use and purchase histories can help improve costs and tariffs for customers.
- Improved streamlining of data for healthcare.
- Expansion of open banking and smart data schemes.
In the previous financial year, more than £2 billion in private funding and 4,800 jobs have been created by 82 open banking firms. With the introduction of this new Bill, it is hoped that this number will accelerate and provide a huge boost to core UK industries such as banking.
Data practitioners should note that UK GDPR changes that were proposed in the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill have not been included in the Data Use and Access Bill, meaning the status quo of accountability requirements (ie, Data Protection Officers, Records of Processing) remain as is under current UK GDPR.
Yet there are still concerns – as there always are – about big businesses (and potential multinational businesses) utilising this Bill in a way that benefits themselves and not the general population. Voices have been raised about who will be the non-government aides assisting in these projects, particularly if they have access to NHS records and represent businesses that have a less-than-desired transparency or ethical record.
Furthermore, concerns about keeping a human in the loop have been mentioned as there is a large focus on automated tasks. Of course, the UK GDPR requires that there must be a right to human intervention when significant decisions are made by automation, but there are requests for clarity on this for the new Bill. Some campaigners have also pointed out that policing benefits from the Bill need to be monitored to ensure already over-policed communities are not disproportionally impacted, further exacerbating tensions and existing issues.
The Bill is due for a second reading before any further progress is made.
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