Report on "The King's Speech"On pages 39-41 of theDigital Information and Smart Data (DISD) BillThe bill lays out plans to harness the power of data to grow the economy, support a modern digital government, and improve people's lives, and includes a number of key points, such as establishing a digital verification service, setting up a smart data scheme to expand open banking schemes to other schemes, developing a national underground property registry, and reforming the ICO system.
The bill, which will help people choose safe and secure digital identity services that will make their lives easier and drive economic growth, is expected to be introduced in the first Parliament of the new UK government.
Video explanation of the bill
Text version of the bill's outline
The UK government is planning to introduce a new Digital Information and Smart Data Bill. This bill could have a major impact on the handling of personal information in the digital age and economic growth. The purpose of the bill is to harness the power of data to promote economic growth, support a modern digital government, and improve people's lives. Specifically, it includes the establishment of a digital verification service, the expansion of open banking, streamlining the National Value Property Register, and reforms to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Digital Verification Serviceis safe and reliableSupporting the creation and adoption of digital identitiesThis is expected to make life easier in many aspects of daily life, such as moving house, pre-employment checks, and purchasing age-restricted goods and services. The National Underground Property Register will digitally map information on underground infrastructure such as pipes and cables. This will allow quick access to information needed for construction and repairs, leading to more efficient work and improved safety.
Smart Data Schemeis a mechanism for securely sharing customer data with approved third-party providers with the customer’s consent.Expanding the concept of open banking to other areasThis may lead to the provision of better services and products.
The bill also:Digitalization of public servicesOther steps will include moving business trip and death registration to electronic systems and applying information standards to IT suppliers to health and welfare systems.
Modernization of data law in the field of scientific researchIt will be easier for scientists to obtain comprehensive consent for their research and data systems will be equally accessible to those working in commercial settings, which will hopefully facilitate interdisciplinary research.
In terms of personal information protectionReorganization and strengthening of ICO's powersThe new organizational structure will be modernized with a CEO and Chairman of the Board, and new powers will be granted to strengthen privacy protections in a rapidly evolving digital world. It will also promote privacy, security and inclusive standards for digital identities, with the aim of creating an environment in which everyone can use digital services with confidence.
moreoverData sharing for child death investigationsThis will also improve safety, which may help prevent tragic accidents from happening again.
This bill is an attempt to promote the use of data in the digital age and to use that data to improve the economy and quality of life. It is very interesting that at its heart is a digital verification service that helps people express who they are and a smart data scheme modeled on open banking.
However, we need to keep a close eye on future developments to see how this bill will actually be implemented and how effective it will be. As the digital society develops rapidly, such legal developments are extremely important, but at the same time, it will be a challenge to see whether the legal system can keep up with technological advances. In addition, attention will be focused on how this bill will affect data-related legislation in other countries. Unlike GDPR, it does not have extraterritorial application, but the UK's open banking has influenced many countries. It will be interesting to see whether it will have a similar impact this time.
Digital Information and Smart Data Bill Explanation
- Governments want to ensure that the power of data is harnessed for economic growth, support a modern digital government, and improve people's lives.
- The Bill will enable new and innovative uses of data to be developed and deployed safely, improve people's lives by making public services work better by reforming data sharing and standards, help scientists and researchers make more life-improving discoveries by improving data laws, and ensure your data is protected by giving the regulator (the ICO) strong new powers and a more modern structure. These measures begin to deliver on the Government's commitment to deliver better services for the UK public through science and technology.
What's in the bill?
- This bill will harness the power of data for economic growth.We will codify three transformative data initiatives that people can choose to take part in and that will accelerate innovation, investment and productivity across the UK. These include:
- Digital Verification Service1Establishment:This is about making people's everyday lives easier through innovative and secure technology. These measures support the creation and adoption of safe and trusted digital identity products and services offered by accredited providers, helping with things like moving house, pre-employment checks and buying age-restricted goods and services.
- Developing a National Underground Property Registry:This is a new digital map that will revolutionize how we install, maintain, operate and repair the pipes and cables beneath our feet, giving designers and drillers instant access to the data they need to get the job done effectively and safely, when they need it, in a standardized and secure way.
- Setting up a smart data scheme: This involves securely sharing customer data with approved third-party providers at the customer's request.
- This Bill will improve people's lives and life chances.The bill isEnabling more and better digital public services.Amendments to the Digital Economy Act will allow governments to share data about companies that use public services, move birth and death registration to an electronic system, and apply information standards to IT suppliers to the health and welfare system.
- This bill isBy reflecting the reality of modern interdisciplinary scientific research in data law,Scientists better use data for world-class researchWe will help scientists to seek comprehensive consent for broad areas of scientific research, and ensure that legitimate researchers conducting scientific work in commercial environments have equal access to our data regimes.
- This bill will ensure that your data is adequately protected.We will modernize and strengthen the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO will be transformed into a more modern regulatory structure with a CEO, a board and a chair. And it will have new, stronger powers. This will be accompanied by targeted reforms to some data laws that maintain high standards of protection while addressing the uncertainties that currently hinder the safe development and deployment of some new technologies. We will also advance digital identity standards around privacy, security and inclusion.
- The Bill also establishes a data preservation process that coroners (and in Scotland, prosecutors) can initiate if they consider it necessary and appropriate to assist with an investigation into a child death. This will make it easier for coroners to access online information they need when investigating a child death.
Territory and scope of application
- The Bill will apply across the UK.
Key facts
- Digital Verification helps people and businesses make the most of identity technology with confidence and peace of mind. Digital Verification saves people time and money by giving them a convenient and trusted option to prove who they are as they go about their daily lives. It also makes online transactions smoother, cheaper and more secure. Digital Verification eases the day-to-day burden for businesses by reducing costs, time and data breaches. The widespread use of secure digital identities in the UK is estimated to boost the economy by around £6 million per year.
- Smart Data refers to certified third-party providers that can enrich customer data with broader, contextual, “business” data at the request of the customer (business or consumer).2This refers to securely sharing data with ATPs (Adapted Transaction Processing). These ATPs provide customers with innovative services that improve their decision-making and market engagement. Open Banking is only one example of a scheme worthy of the name "smart data scheme", but a legislative framework is needed to establish a lasting base and grow and expand from there. This will empower customers to make more informed choices and provide businesses with a toolkit to innovate. By enabling consumers to share their data with sectors, we also hope to spread the economic growth seen with Open Banking to the whole economy. This is particularly important in markets where customer engagement is low and where businesses hold more information and data than their customers.
- National Underground Assets Register3(NUAR) is a new digital map that will revolutionize the way we install, maintain, operate and repair the pipes and cables that lie buried beneath our feet. NUAR gives planners and drillers standardized, secure and instant access to the data they need to do their jobs efficiently, effectively and safely. They get the data they need, when they need it.
- The UK data economy (the market for data and the value data adds to other sectors of the economy) currently accounts for an estimated 2022% of GDP (as of 6.9). By harnessing the power of data, we can create enormous value for the economy and wider society. The UK data economy is also crucial to facilitating trade. In 2021, UK data-enabled services exports are estimated to account for 85% of total services exports, worth £2590 billion. UK data-enabled exports to the EU alone are estimated to be £910 billion.
- Data is vital to UK businesses: 77% of UK businesses handle some form of digital data, rising to 10% for those with 99 or more employees.