Recently, the cyber infiltration of the National Health Service, or the NHS, in the UK, highlighted the importance of cyber diligence and how a lack of sufficient security can cripple the infrastructure of the nation. Add to this the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, and UK citizens are reminding themselves of the significance of the powers of government data gathering and surveillance.
In the light of this, how are the main U.K. political parties addressing online privacy and security after the general election?
The Conservative Party
So far, the Conservative party is the most vocal about data privacy and has taken a bold stance on the topic in their manifesto. Although they were the introducers of the Investigatory Powers Act, which widened the government’s powers to keep detailed records of individuals internet activity for the past year, their manifesto emphasized privacy so much so that the word itself appears six separate times.
The party promises new legislation to enforce data security, stating that they “will deliver protections for people’s data online, backed by a new data protection law.” They do not mention precise details or actions that will take place or how it work with other planned regulation changes, specifically the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDRP.
The GDP comes into play in May 2018, and all organizations or businesses handling EU consumer data must comply with the new rules. But because the Conservatives haven’t made their position clear, it is another challenge for the future of compliance and clear cut data security.
Other promises made the Conservative party includes making a digital charter to force digital privacy to the forefront of the technological debater, to make online regulations similar to offline ones, and to make service providers partly responsible for ensuring privacy protection.
Additionally, the manifesto indicates that IT companies will be forced to give backdoor access to encrypted messages to the government. Such a backdoor would be a gaping security risk for personal data and undermines the purposes of encryption message services like WhatsApp. When data is constantly under threat of cyber attack, leaving a backdoor for governmental access adds yet another challenge to the already difficult task online security. Much must be considered if such extreme steps are to be taken by any party in power.
The Conservatives also promise to increase child safety online, specifically by deleting profile information once the account owner turns 18. Such a regulation would be a difficult order to follow for the 20 some odd social media platforms with millions of users and data storage all across the world. Not to mention the many questions it brings up like what if the account holder doesn’t wish their profile to be deleted? How would they keep some of the information and not other? And how could social media businesses meet this burden anyway?
Further, Conservatives suggests they would tax the whole industry, both internet and communication services, to pay for various online safety campaigns, similar to levies against the gambling industry taken to pay for gambling addiction awareness ads. However, it could be a mistake to equate a similarity of internet use to gambling addiction, even if there is some evidence to support the theory, at a time when the conservatives also want to take the lead in the digital economy.
The Labour Party
On the other hand, the Labour party has been a bit vaguer on their views towards data safety. Their manifesto states: “Labour is committed to growing the digital economy and ensuring that trade agreements do not impede cross-border data flows while maintaining strong data protection rules to protect personal privacy.” Although they don’t say much about what regulations they would put in place, it does seem likely that Labour would uphold GDRP in its original form.
Also, the party proposes to appoint an ambassador of sorts to work with IT companies and to promote the UK as an “attractive place for investment.” But like with the cyber regulations the manifesto is light on details of how the role function or have an effect on data privacy laws.
Continuing the lack of details in other areas, LAbour’s manifesto was not clear on their position regarding security. It touches on violations of civil liberties and privacy rights while promising to use the investigation powers that do so with restraint and only when necessary to keep “maintain[ing] the cross-border security and co-operation agreements with our intelligence partners in Europe and beyond.”
The Liberal Democrats
This third party stands in direct opposition to either party previously mentioned. They want to revoke the mass surveillance given to the government by the Investigatory Powers Act as well ass stop the collection private online communication. To protect citizen’s rights online, the Lib Dems want to create a Bill of Rights for the digital age that allows data consumers more control over their online security and data.
Finally, in the party’s manifesto, they promise to counter the efforts of the Conservative party to require backdoors into encryption services.
In which direction is the future?
There is no shortage of variety in the views of various parties for the future of cyber security, especially where the look of cyber surveillance is concerned. At the same time, there remains critical questions about what level of protection can be provided and the feasibility of some measures. While the Conservative manifesto promise to make the UK the “the safest place to be online,” there will be quite a lot of work to make such an interconnected world safe and secure but also free no matter which future direction is chosen.
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