I know that the Government is committed to strengthening rights for citizens over their personal data. The new Data Protection Bill now before Parliament will ensure that our data protection framework is suitable for our new digital age, while also strengthening rights and empowering individuals to have more control over their personal data.
Under the new measures, everyone would have the right to make sure the data held about them is fair and accurate, and stronger ‘right to be forgotten’ means data will be deleted provided there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it. The Bill also sets out a number of measures to ensure children are properly protected in our new digital age. For example, there will be guidance on the standards expected for online services that are likely to be accessed by children, and parents will need to give consent for the data of a child under 13 to be processed. Young people will also be given the right to have data about them removed once they are 18 years old.
The Bill introduces a new data protection regime in accordance with EU data protection standards, which will help prepare Britain for a successful Brexit. By having strong data protection laws and appropriate safeguards, businesses will be able to operate across international borders.
The Information Commissioner’s Office will also be given more power to regulate and enforce data protection laws, including the ability to issue higher fines, of up to €20 million or 4 per cent of global turnover, in cases of the most serious data breaches. New criminal offences will also be created to deter organisations from either intentionally or recklessly creating situations where someone could be identified from anonymised data. I am confident that the new Data Protection Bill will give us one of the most robust, yet dynamic, set of data laws in the world.