The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (referred to as the Bill in the rest of this article) proposes a number of changes to the UK data protection regime which the Government hopes will make data protection compliance more straightforward in the UK. In this article we review some of the proposals from a practical perspective to consider how they will impact day to day operations and how organisations can prepare to make the most of the proposals.

The Bill is not yet in its final form, so organisations should not start making any changes to their procedures or governance structures until we have the final legislation. However, it is useful to start thinking about how the proposals are likely to impact your organisation and the resources you will need to make sure you modify your privacy practices in the best possible way to take advantage of the flexibility the new regime promises to offer, while retaining the best practice and expertise that you already have in place.