United Kingdom: Closed consultation on Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill including data protection authority governance

On 13 June 2023, the UK House of Commons Public Bill Committee closed its consultation on the Data Protection and Digital Information (No.2) Bill. The Bill would amend the UK Data Protection Regulation provisions in regard to the recognised legitimate interests for processing personal data. The Bill would replace the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) with a new Information Commission, with a statutory board whose members can be appointed by the Secretary of State. In addition, the Bill would give the Secretary of State the power to extend the list of the recognised legitimate interests when it considers that it is necessary to uphold the interests, rights and freedoms of data subjects and provide special protection to children's data.