UK Data Protection Index: First year of results reveal huge changes for organisations trying to comply with privacy laws
The role the Coronavirus pandemic is playing on increasing Data Protection Officers’ (DPOs) perception of the importance of complying with privacy and data protection laws is now at its highest level since the DP index started a year ago. Almost four in ten DPOs (39%) said this had significantly increased and gave a score of 8 or more out of 10, compared with just 21% in July 2020.
The UK Data Protection Index, from The DPO Centre and Data Protection World Forum (DPWF) was launched a year ago and each quarter asks an extensive panel of over 400 UK DPOs for their opinions on evolving industry trends.
This quarter, data retention is listed as the biggest concern facing organisations. This concern largely centres around data retention policies, which specify how long organisations must keep information and how they then dispose of it. This result may be linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and uncertainty as to whether employees are retaining data on personal devices or making additional paper copies of data, which have become far more difficult to monitor when working from home.
Top three privacy concerns in June 2021:
- Data Retention (26%)
- International Data Transfers (20%)
- Accountability and demonstrating compliance (16%)
The latest findings highlight the huge array of complexities now involved when handling data.
Rob Masson, CEO, The DPO Centre commented “It has been a roller-coaster of a year for the privacy and data protection industry. Organisations in the UK are now subjected to more privacy regulations and complexity than they ever have been.
“The lasting impact of Covid and the new array of regulations post-Brexit and the Schrems II decision, means companies are grappling with their data responsibilities.”
In terms of international transfers, DPOs have shown slightly more optimism around the relaxation of personal data transfer restrictions with other third countries following the adoption of an adequacy agreement with the EU. Furthermore, DPOs continue to broadly expect the UK to strike its own agreement with the US to allow for the free flow of personal data between the countries within the next three years.
Rob Masson, CEO, The DPO Centre continued “Going forwards, the UK has an opportunity to create a strong data infrastructure with a high level of regulatory compliance, alongside developing a data-literate workforce, and increasing the number of people with advanced data skills. The data economy is integral to the UK’s growth and future prosperity.”
Nick James, Founder of the Data Protection World Forum, said: "For me it’s results like this which showcase the importance of conducting such research. Throughout these turbulent times it’s difficult to stay abreast of the drivers within our industry. This research is proving a valuable barometer to indicate how the sector is faring and which challenges are front of mind."
The full report of the latest UK Data Protection Index survey is available at
https://www.dpocentre.com/resources/uk-data-protection-index/