09 Aug UK Updates Data Protection Rules, Criminalizes Re-identification of Anonymized Data
The UK government intends to repeal the current Data Protection Act in an effort to update data security regulations.
Among the new rules include criminal charges for suspects who reveal an individual’s identity based on anonymized data, and penalizing firms that modify records to prevent disclosure when people request data access.
It also widens the definition of personal data for the protection of users, which includes cookies, DNA, and IP addresses.
The updated will also allow adolescents to request social media to remove information published about them in their childhood, which falls under the provisions on the right to be forgotten.
According to UK digital minister Matt Hancock, the new data protection bill will strike a balance between enabling technological advancements while upholding firm data security for British citizens.
The UK aligns data laws with the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation, instead of creating separate measures that contradict upon implementation.
Source: TechCrunch
