When: Online on Tuesday 21 May, 2024 2.00 to 3.00 pm.
The Data Protection and Digital Information bill (DPDI) was introduced to the House of Commons on 8 November 2023, swiftly followed by 3rd reading and Report on 29 November 2023, adding 156 pages of amendments and 38 new clauses, leaving little opportunity for proper scrutiny of a bill that “gives the Government sweeping powers and limits the rights of our fellow citizens, the public.” (Sir Chris Bryant). Civil society organisations have raised a range of concerns around the bill, highlighted by Peers during the recent Committee stage in the House of Lords.
Contributors explained how the bill would engage key rights and access to justice issues and the impact on all citizens, especially but not exclusively those who are vulnerable.
The focus was on human rights protections that are at risk, including the right to privacy and non-discrimination.
Mariano delli Santi, Open Rights Group highlighted the issues from ORG’s Hands off our data campaign; Tanya Krupiy, Newcastle University, explained how the increasing use of AI impacts on all human rights and access to resources that are crucial to everyone’s wellbeing; Eleanor Duhs. Partner from Bates Wells gave examples of how the UK’s data protection standards have already fallen; and James Farrar, CEO, of the Worker Information Exchange alerted us to the barriers workers face challenging decisions made through ADM including around pay setting, work allocation and robo firing, illustrated by the recent Ola cabs and Uber rulings.
The day after our meeting, the PM announced the dissolution of Parliament before the General Election on Thursday July 4 2024. The DPDI bill was not included in the list of bills for Royal Assent and has therefore fallen. It remains to be seen whether a data protection and digital information bill will feature in the King’s Speech, expected to take place on Wednesday 17 July 2024.
Reference Materials
Dr Tanya Krupiy, Newcastle University: Meeting the Chimera: How the Cedaw Can Address Digital Discrimination
https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/278922/E7599EE0-5B91-4185-8D20-8B6F4086774B.pdf
Krupiy, Sheinin
Disability Discrimination in the Digital Realm: How the ICRPD Applies to Artificial Intelligence Decision-Making Processes and Helps in Determining the State of International Human Rights Law https://academic.oup.com/hrlr/article/23/3/ngad019/7237939
Dr Tanya Krupiy, Newcastle University
The need to update the Artificial Intelligence Act to make it human rights compliant — The Digital Constitutionalist
Dr Tanya Krupiy, Newcastle University: Artificial Intelligence – the need to update the Equality Act 2010
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/artificial-intelligence-the-need-to-update-the-equality-act-2010/
Eleanor Duhs, Partner and Head of Data Privacy, Bates Wells, The Data Protection (Fundamental Rights and Freedoms) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 – a failure to contain damaging uncertainty
Historic digital rights win for Workers Information Exchange and the ADCU over Uber and Ola at Amsterdam Court of Appeal
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