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The UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), published a new data sharing code of practice (Code), available here, which addresses the requirements for data sharing under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

Once approved by Parliament, the Code will become a statutory code of practice. Thereafter, the Code will be used by the ICO when assessing whether organisations have complied with their data protection obligations when sharing personal data. The Code applies to the sharing of personal data between controllers, as well as giving access to personal data to third parties. It does not, however, apply to data sharing with a processor, nor the disclosure of data within an organisation.

The Code contains practical guidance for controllers on how they can share data fairly and lawfully and how they can meet their accountability obligations under the GDPR and the DPA 2018. It also addresses misconceptions regarding data sharing, such as clarifying that data protection laws do not prevent data sharing (as long as the sharing is lawful, fair and proportionate) and that most data sharing does not rely on consent as the lawful basis.
Continue Reading The ICO publishes a new data sharing code of practice

After a long period of negotiation, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) have reached a deal on the sharing of personal data, only a few days before the end of the Brexit transition period.

The agreed trade deal allows for the continued free flow of personal data from the EU to the UK for a maximum of six months after the transition period expires. During that time, the UK hopes that the European Commission will issue an adequacy decision in relation to the UK, thus allowing the free flow of personal data to continue beyond the six months. In relation to transfers of personal data outside the UK, the UK has already deemed adequate the 30 EU/European Economic Area countries and the 12 countries that have received EU adequacy decisions, as mentioned in our previous blog post (available here).Continue Reading EU-UK data flows following the Brexit transition period

With the end of the Brexit transition period quickly approaching on 31 December 2020, the future of international data transfers between the UK and the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) remains somewhat unclear.

As background, Article 44 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) prohibits the transfer of personal data from the EU/EEA to recipients in jurisdictions outside the EU/EEA, unless specific conditions are met. One such condition under the GDPR is an “adequacy decision” granted by the European Commission. If a third country is deemed adequate by the European Commission, the personal data can be transferred to that country without any additional safeguards being required.Continue Reading The UK is preparing its adequacy decisions post Brexit

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the brand ambassador and influencer industry in different ways. Social media engagement is up. Screen times have increased. Advertising campaigns of brand ambassadors for organizations and influencers might have been adjusted. Self-quarantining audiences have different demands. With the strong trust from their followers, influencers on social media channels such as…

Since March 11, when the World Health Organization (WHO) officially categorised the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic, it has become clear that the world is immensely struggling with the outbreak. It has even led to a massive slowdown in economic activity, causing volatility and turbulence in the financial markets. Therefore, apart from being a…

On October 1, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 went into effect in the UK.  Divided into three parts, the Act applies to the entire United Kingdom, and extends consumer rights and significantly restructures overall business-to-consumer relationships.  We have summarized the legislation and identified ways in which UK businesses that deal with consumers will likely be…

The UK Government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has issued an impact assessment (IA) at the end of September on the draft Network and Information Security Directive (the Directive) proposed by the European Commission on 7 February 2013. The Directive aims to achieve a common high level of network and information security across…

This post was written by Cynthia O’Donoghue.

The UK Department of Health has published a response supporting the Caldicott Review findings on information sharing of patient data across the health and care system.

The Department of Health supported each of the information sharing findings:

  • NHS England’s Information Strategy granting patients free access to their

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