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The pros and cons of UK plans to diverge from GDPR - as reported by The Drum

As ecommerce recruitment specialists, many of the clients and candidates we deal with need a working knowledge of GDPR and its impact on website data analytics. It seems that the UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden is keen on a reformation of GDPR and UK data laws.

The Drum has explored how these changes could impact user privacy and digital advertising.

“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.”

(Oliver Dowden, UK Culture Secretary)

So, what could changes to GDPR mean in general?

“Common sense, not box-ticking”
Less digital bureaucracy
Fewer consent forms
Change in how data is shared between UK & EU
Possible deregulation ..."at a time when even the USA and China are strengthening consumer privacy policies"
Effect consumer willingness to share data
Increased complications for brands to reach their target audiences

Wired reports that the free flow of data to the EU is worth £85bn to the UK – that’s 13% of UK GDP.

What does the advertising industry have to say?

GDPR is there to protect consumer privacy (across the EU)
Web-based tracking is much easier without GDPR protections
Google is already phasing out the third-party cookie used by consumers to give/retract consent so marketers cannot fully rely on data
Strong partnerships with other countries should improve international data transfers
New deals could jeopardize existing EU trade

“...any exploration of this [changes to GDPR] by the government must be careful not to endanger the UK’s data adequacy with the EU”.

(James Chandler, IAB UK chief marketing officer)

"Can the UK improve on GDPR, a regulation that’s had years of thought and countless resources invested in it? Should the UK make fine adjustments to improve consent-gathering and cut down on the box-ticking? And is a post-Brexit government bartering every detail with EU bureaucrats in the best place to reinvent the wheel? "

Read The Drum's full article here

Image: The Drum

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