Post-Brexit divergence from GDPR: Implications for data access and scientific research in the UK
Key points:
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The workshop discussed the implications of the UK diverging from the GDPR after Brexit, focusing on the impact on data access and scientific research. The risk of losing adequacy with the EU was a major concern, as this could create new costs and barriers for UK-EU research collaborations.
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The workshop participants also discussed potential changes to the definition of scientific research and how the GDPR could be improved to better support scientific research. There was a consensus that guaranteeing and protecting adequacy with the European Union was a key priority.
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The participants expressed concerns over the initial Bill presented, as it reduced the rights of data subjects and could therefore be considered as ‘anti-innovation’. They also had concerns over so-called ‘Henry VIII clauses’ throughout the Bill, giving the Secretary of State discretionary power to amend the Act through secondary legislation with limited or no parliamentary scrutiny.
Summary:
The PDF document is a summary of a workshop held to discuss the implications of the UK diverging from the GDPR after Brexit. The workshop focused on the potential impact on data access and scientific research in the UK. The participants, including scientific researchers, data protection experts, industry representatives, and privacy campaigners, discussed the risk of losing adequacy with the EU, potential changes to the definition of scientific research, and ways to improve the GDPR to better support scientific research. The consensus was that guaranteeing and protecting adequacy with the European Union was a key priority. Concerns were raised about the initial Bill presented, as it reduced the rights of data subjects and could therefore be considered as ‘anti-innovation’. The participants also expressed concerns over the ‘Henry VIII clauses’ in the Bill, which give the Secretary of State discretionary power to amend the Act through secondary legislation with limited or no parliamentary scrutiny.