The UK plans to cooperate closely with Europe on data protection rules to ensure a free flow of information between businesses and law enforcement organisations after it leaves the EU.
Digital minister Matt Hancock said the UK was leading the way on modern data protection laws and had worked closely with EU partners to develop world-leading data protection standards.
“In the modern world, data flows increasingly underpin trade, business and all relationships. We want the secure flow of data to be unhindered in the future as we leave the EU, so a strong future data relationship between the UK and EU, based on aligned data protection rules, is in our mutual interest,” he said.
The latest position paper, said Hancock, sets out how the government thinks the UK’s data relationship with the EU should continue.
“Our goal is to combine strong privacy rules with a relationship that allows flexibility, to give consumers and businesses certainty in their use of data,” he said.
According to the document, the UK government will consider the case for a “unique approach” that could allow data to continue to be exchanged to ensure ongoing competitiveness, innovation and job creation.
The document outlines how the UK is considering what the government terms “an ambitious model” for the protection and exchange of personal data with the EU that reflects the unprecedented alignment between UK and European law and recognises the high data protection standards that will be in place at the point of exit.
