Citizens Advice’s response to DCMS’ public consultation on reforms to the UK’s data protection regime

Citizens Advice’s response to DCMS’ public consultation on reforms to the UK’s data
protection regime

Citizens Advice welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. We are
primarily responding in our capacity as the statutory consumer advocate for GB
energy consumers, although some of our comments apply more generally. In this
role we have conducted numerous pieces of research on people’s attitudes
towards sharing their data. Data and digitisation, including consumer data, will be
central to the transition towards a net zero energy system. It is therefore essential
that people feel confident that their data is secure, that it isn’t being misused, and
that they can share in the value that it creates.

We recognise that the government is keen to transform its data protection
framework, in order to promote a ‘pro-growth’ and innovation friendly regime. We
understand that the current regime, in particular GDPR, is perceived by many
organisations to be complicated and ambiguous. It can also be costly to ensure
compliance with. Importantly, we also know that consumer data rights are often
poorly understood, and that people can struggle to engage with them. As such,
we are in principle, supportive of reforms which simplify the current regime while
improving consumer confidence and engagement. However, it is essential that
any reforms aimed at simplifying GDPR do not come at the expense of consumer
trust and confidence.