Security News > 2022 > June > Cookie consent crumbles under fresh UK data law proposals

The UK government has published its plans for reforming local data protection law which includes removing the requirement for consent for all website cookies - akin to the situation in much of the US. Also notable is the removal of the requirement for a Data Protection Impact Assessment, as well as a new political direction over the Information Commissioner's Office.

UK rules on website and app cookie consent are set to change if these proposals move forward.

The government plans new laws to remove the need for websites to display cookie banners to UK residents, permitting cookies and similar technologies to be placed on a user's device without explicit consent.

Peter Church, counsel in law firm Linklaters' global data team, said: "The reform of cookie laws is also long overdue given the widespread annoyance caused by cookie pop-ups. However, it's not clear how the new regime will adequately protect individuals from excessive and intrusive internet tracking."

Elsewhere, the government has rejected proposals to remove the right for individuals to challenge automated decisions made about them, a right enshrined in the EU GDPR, a piece of legislation the government had promised to move away from after Brexit.

"Our proposals retain human review as currently required under Article 22, but will ensure that a data subject has access to clearer safeguards for any significant decision made without meaningful human involvement, potentially to include a justification of how a decision is reached which may enable a data subject to more easily identify how protected characteristics have been factored into a decision," the proposals said.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/06/17/cookies_crumble_in_uk_data/