The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was a proposed
act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...
introduced by the
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology,
Michelle Donelan
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (born 8 April 1984) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since September 2022. She previously served as Minister of State for Higher and Further E ...
, on 8 March 2023 in the 2022–23 Session and
carried over to the 2023–24 Session.
The
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
would have significantly amended the
Data Protection Act 2018
The Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12) is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which updates data protection laws in the UK. It is a national law which complements the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and replaces the Data ...
and the
UK GDPR.
The legislation proposed to replace EU-derived data protection laws with a new UK regime of such laws. The bill would have established an Information Commission and transferred the Information Commissioner's functions to the commission. It also mandated the removal of cookie pop ups and banned nuisance calls with the power for increased fines.
The bill mandated the creation of a digital verification services trust framework, in consultation with the Information Commissioner. The trust framework would have been empowered to set rules and conditions for approval of DVS services, as well as specify commencement times and transitional provisions for these services. The bill also required the Secretary of State to keep a register of digital verification services and conferred powers to award a trust mark for use by persons providing registered digital services.
The bill passed the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
on 29 November 2023 and was introduced to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...
by the
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property,
Viscount Camrose
Viscount Camrose, of Hackwood Park in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 January 1941 for the prominent newspaper magnate William Berry, 1st Baron Camrose. He had previously received th ...
, on 6 December 2023. The bill passed
Committee Stage
In the United Kingdom an act of Parliament is primary legislation passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
An act of Parliament can be enforced in all four of the UK constituent countries ( England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ir ...
in the Lords on 24 April 2024 and was at
report stage
In the United Kingdom an act of Parliament is primary legislation passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
An act of Parliament can be enforced in all four of the UK constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ...
in the Lords when parliament was
prorogued
A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two electio ...
on 24 May 2024 for
dissolution
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* ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers
* ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music
* Dissolution, in mu ...
before the
2024 United Kingdom general election
The 2024 United Kingdom general election is scheduled to be held on Thursday, 4 July 2024. It will determine the composition of the House of Commons, which determines the Government of the United Kingdom. Significant constituency boundary cha ...
. The bill was not completed during the
wash-up period
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
The wash-up period is the last few days while a Parliament of the United Kingdom continues to sit after the Prime Minister has announced the date when Parliament will be dissolved so a general election can be held ...
and so it failed to become legislation.
Certain parts of the bill were the subject of controversy, in particular the power of the Secretary of State to force banks to monitor benefits claimants bank accounts, which the government said was to root out benefit fraud. A subsequent legal opinion indicated that the powers would breach the
European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...
.
The controversial elements of the bill were amendments added by the
Department for Work and Pensions
, type = Department
, seal =
, logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg
, logo_width = 166px
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom
, headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
at a very late stage with limited industry consultation.
[
]
References
{{reflist
Proposed laws of the United Kingdom
Data laws of the United Kingdom